Law and order: Top Rawalpindi cops to face accountability, says Sanaullah

Opposition leader says government trying to protect guilty policemen.

LAHORE:

A special committee constituted by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been tasked with framing charges against 10 Rawalpindi police officers, whose negligence led to Ashura violence, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Provincial Assembly on Thursday.

The opposition demanded the termination of the 10 policemen. They said there was no need to form special committees.

Sanaullah said a fact finding committee had furnished its report on the incident, on Wednesday (December 4). It had recommended stern action against the Rawalpindi regional police officer, the city police officer, four senior superintendents, a deputy superintendent, an inspector and two station house officers.

The fact finding committee, supervised by former chairman of the chief minister’s inspection team Najam Saeed had held the 10 policemen responsible for the violence.

Sanaullah said that Sharif had next constituted a special committee under Punjab Police Inspector General Khan Baig and the home secretary to frame charges against the officials for disciplinary action. He said that was a requirement under the rules. The government would act against the officials after considering the special committee’s report and their replies to the charge sheet.



Leader of Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed said the fact finding committee’s report suggested that the policemen should be punished under Section 155 of the Police Order 2002 (penalty for certain types of misconduct) and dismissed under the Police Act 1861. “Why then has Sharif constituted another committee?” he asked.

Rasheed said the special committee would let off the officers easy. He said the government had failed previously to take action on reports of spurious medicines at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and the flood commission.

He demanded that the special committee be abolished and the police officials prosecuted based on the findings of the fact finding committee.

Arif Abbassi said those who had lost loved ones in the Ashura carnage should be allowed to be the complainants in the cases against the police officers.

Sanaullah said the special committee was required under departmental rules. He said competent officers had been tasked with framing charges against the police officers.

Sanaullah said the government had also constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) under Counter Terrorism Authority Additional Inspector General Aftab Cheema to arrest those who burned property and killed people.

The JIT had managed to identify 92 people through video footage, he said, 42 of them directly involved in arson and violence. Sanaullah said that 35 of them had been arrested so far. Five of them, Shafqat Shah, Amjad Hussain Shah, Yasir, Fayyaz and Shabihul Hassan, were police constables. The constables had not been on duty and were part of the procession.

He said the police were trying to ascertain their role in the incident.

He said police had managed to arrest 47 people involved in other incidents of violence, in which seven imam bargahs were burnt, during Muharram.

Sanaullah said the chief minister had released Rs240 million for the construction of the mosque and madrassah burnt in Rawalpindi.

On dams

Irrigation Minister Yawar Zaman, replying to Jamaat-i-Islami’s Dr Waseem Akhtar’s question regarding the construction of Kala Bagh Dam, said the JI was an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, if they could convince the PTI, the Punjab government was ready to start work on the dam.

Akhtar said he would talk to KPK Minister Sirajul Haq about the.

MPA Mian Naseer suggested that the house form a committee to talk to the KPK government about the matter.

Rasheed said they would talk to the KPK government if there was consensus on the matter in the Punjab Assembly.

He said the Kalabagh Dam had been politicised.

The speaker said that he would discuss the matter with them on Friday and devise a strategy on how to approach the KPK government to seek consensus about the project. The speaker then adjourned the session till Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2013.