Road rage: Provincial assembly secretary sent on leave

A traffic warden alleged that secy’s sons beat him up, secretary was also involved.

LAHORE:

A judicial magistrate granted bail on Friday to six men, including three sons of a provincial assembly secretary, accused of beating up two traffic wardens after one of them had been stopped for a violation. The secretary, Rai Mumtaz Hussain Babar, was allegedly present.

In a significant fall-out of the incident, the secretary has gone on leave. A statement from the Assembly Secretariat issued on Friday said that the secretary had been sent on leave for a month. Earlier, a handout issued from the Chief Minister’s secretariat said Shahbaz Sharif had taken strict notice of the incident, and ordered Babar’s removal from his post.

The judicial magistrate granted bail to Rai Fazal Abbas, Rai Najaf Abbas, Rai Tasawir Abbas, Rai Baqir Ali, Adeel and Waseem for Rs50,000 each.

Najaf Abbas was headed the wrong way on Lytton Road on a motorcycle, when Shahid Mehmood, a traffic warden intercepted him. Abbas said he was going the wrong way because he lived in GOR II. Mehmood also said he threatened to beat him up if he was fined. Abbas then called his father, who soon arrived with three others.

Mehmood said his colleague Muhammad Waqas, a patrolling officer, had arrived in the meantime along with Mozang Circle Inspector Sikandar Hayat.

Mehmood said when Abbas’s father arrived, he asked his son who had stopped him. The father of the accused then directed his sons to beat up the wardens upon. Mehmood said the provincial assembly secretary said that the warden would be taught a lesson for intercepting his son.

The suspects later claimed that the warden had misbehaved with them and used derogatory language. The warden alleged they had threatened him with dire consequences.

Police arrested Rai Najaf Abbas and Rai Fazal Abbas from the scene. Assistant Sub Inspector Niaz Ahmed, who is also the investigation officer for the case, told The Express Tribune that Najaf Abbas and Fazal Abbas and four unidentified people were nominated in the Mehmood’s complaint. The police later also arrested Rai Tasawar Abbas, Rai Baqir Ali, Adeel and Waseem. The police registered a case against the suspects under Sections 279,186,353 of the Pakistan Penal Court.

Lytton Road police produced the six before a magistrate on Friday, and said they had no objection if they were sent on judicial remand. The suspects then applied for after-arrest bails. Their counsel said the traffic warden had misbehaved with his clients. The bail was set at Rs50,000 each. The suspects have been released. MPA Saddique Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf said he would move a privilege motion against the chief minister’s actions, which he said had violated the dignity and independence of the office of the speaker.

Supreme Court Advocate Azhar Siddue too said the chief minister had no authority to intervene in assembly affairs.

He said according to rules, only allow the speaker to specify the method by which recruitment, appointment, promotion and firing of members of the assembly secretariat including the secretary, chief security officer etc. He said an order by the chief minister to fire the secretary would be a violation of Article 10 A, which provides right to a fair trial.

Leader of opposition, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, said he would submit an adjournment motion in the house to ask why the chief minister had intervened in the affairs of the secretariat.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2014.