Inquiry sought into ‘Quetta terrorism claims’

Complainant has accused neighbour in DHA of assault and defamation.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge has fixed September 5 for arguments on an application submitted by a retired judge seeking an investigation into alleged claims made by his neighbour that he had arranged terrorist attacks in Quetta.

Petitioner Tahir Naeem submitted this application on Wednesday during the hearing of his private complaint against Naveed Khan, his wife and their employee for allegedly threatening, assaulting and slandering him. He sought an inquiry conducted by the CIA SP against Khan, who is his neighbour in DHA Phase V.

Naeem said in the application that Khan’s claims were very serous and required a proper inquiry “in the national interest and to safeguard the integrity of the country against prospective dangers”.

In his private complaint, Naeem had asked the court to punish Khan, his wife and their employee Manzoor under Sections 351 (assault), 352 (punishment for assault), 454 (trespass) and 500 (defamation) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the complainant, on July 7, during an altercation with the neighbouring couple and their rowdy dogs, Khan had threatened him, claiming to be a dangerous person who had been behind terrorist attacks in his hometown of Quetta. He had threatened to call 200 people from Balochistan to punish the magistrate and police officers if any complaint was moved against him, Naeem said. In a witness statement attached to the private complaint, Muhammad Nawaz Alam also stated that the respondent had told him that he was a terrorist and was responsible for bomb blasts in Quetta.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2013.