Relatives of slain brothers stage demonstration

Family of lynch victims accuses authorities of bias and shielding senior police officials in the case.

SIALKOT: The bereaved family of the two lynched brothers — Hafiz Mughees and Muneeb Butt — staged a peaceful demonstration at Allama Iqbal Chowk and staged a sit-in to protest against the Sialkot police.

They protested “the partiality of Sialkot police and sheltering of former DPO Waqar Chauhan and other senior police officials involved in the case”.

They also accused senior police officials of influencing the direction of the investigation.

Grandfather of the lynched youths Khawaja Muhammad Anwar, grandmother Anees Begum, father Khawaja Muhammad Sajjad, mother Fauzia Sajjad, six-year-old sister Momina Sajjad, uncle Muhammad Zarar Butt and other relatives participated in the demonstration.

The family expressed no-confidence in the police inquiry presented before the Supreme Court by the joint investigating team, led by DIG Mushtaq Sukhera from Punjab CID.

The bereaved family alleged that the Sialkot police have changed the direction of the investigation to save the accused police officials nominated in this case. “We totally differ with the police investigation report, “ the lynched brothers’ uncle Muhammad Zarar Butt said.

While talking to journalists, the bereaved family alleged that the Sialkot police are showing partiality in the case, saying that the inquiry report compiled by the senior police officials was totally differed with the judicial inquiry report conducted by a high profile judicial commission on the order of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Father Khawaja Muhammad Sajjad and mother Fauzia Sajjad said their sons were their hands.

They said almost two months have passed but the Sialkot police was still unable to produce the challan before the Anti-terrorism Court (ATC). They alleged that the Sialkot police was adopting delaying tactics, in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2010.