Dec 8 Faisalabad riots: Shooters were banned outfit’s hit-men, says report
Fact-finding panel constituted by Punjab CM accuses police, district administration of sparking, abetting violence
FAISALABAD:
The three-member committee – constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to find out facts regarding December 8 riots in Faisalabad in which a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker was killed – has put entire burden of the tragedy on police and local administration.
On December 8, the PTI was observing a shutter-down strike in Faisalabad. However, riots erupted and clashes between the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) activists resulted in death of one PTI activist, Haq Nawaz.
The sources said the fact-finding report – which has been submitted to Punjab CM – was prepared after recording statements of more than 113 people including Faisalabad’s DCO Noorul Amin Mengal, CPO Dr Sohail Habib Tajik, two SPs, three DSPs, five Inspectors, 15 constables, eyewitnesses, the PML-N leaders, activists and traders.
The committee also visited various sites of the city including Millat Chowk, Abdullah Pur Chowk and especially Novelty Bridge, where the PTI worker was killed, said one of the sources.
According to sources, the report accuses the PML-N workers, politically motivated police and the local administration of sparking and abetting the violence. It also admits that the PTI activists and workers did not violate the code of peaceful protest at any point during the whole episode.
“The committee unequivocally laid bare the criminal negligence of police and city administration, which it said, acted like silent spectators while laws were being flouted under their noses,” said one of the sources.
However, in an apparent attempt to clear the PML-N, the report claims that the shooters were in fact hit-men from an outlawed militant outfit. Here it must be noted that allegations – regarding the PML-N’s alleged ties with some banned militant organisations – have continued to surface time and again.
Meanwhile, Faisalabad’s SSP Investigation Altaf Gondal has initiated departmental inquiry against 60 police officials, including SP Iqbal Town Zulfiqar, DSP Malik Khalid and SHOs of Samanabad and D-Type Colony police stations.
The SSP has also acquired footage of December 8 tragedy from the media houses to ascertain the negligence of police officials as well as officers, who did not take any action against the law violators.
Here it must be noted that none of the PTI leaders or activists appeared before the committee, which, they said, “is formed just to hoodwink the facts and to give a clean chit to the PML-N leadership”.
“We have no trust in a committee which is operating directly under the command of the Punjab chief minister,” said the PTI’s central leader Dr Asad Muazzam.
“How is it possible that a committee of government officials can dare to give verdict against Shahbaz Sharif government, which is bent upon politically eliminating the PTI at any cost,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2014.
The three-member committee – constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to find out facts regarding December 8 riots in Faisalabad in which a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker was killed – has put entire burden of the tragedy on police and local administration.
On December 8, the PTI was observing a shutter-down strike in Faisalabad. However, riots erupted and clashes between the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) activists resulted in death of one PTI activist, Haq Nawaz.
The sources said the fact-finding report – which has been submitted to Punjab CM – was prepared after recording statements of more than 113 people including Faisalabad’s DCO Noorul Amin Mengal, CPO Dr Sohail Habib Tajik, two SPs, three DSPs, five Inspectors, 15 constables, eyewitnesses, the PML-N leaders, activists and traders.
The committee also visited various sites of the city including Millat Chowk, Abdullah Pur Chowk and especially Novelty Bridge, where the PTI worker was killed, said one of the sources.
According to sources, the report accuses the PML-N workers, politically motivated police and the local administration of sparking and abetting the violence. It also admits that the PTI activists and workers did not violate the code of peaceful protest at any point during the whole episode.
“The committee unequivocally laid bare the criminal negligence of police and city administration, which it said, acted like silent spectators while laws were being flouted under their noses,” said one of the sources.
However, in an apparent attempt to clear the PML-N, the report claims that the shooters were in fact hit-men from an outlawed militant outfit. Here it must be noted that allegations – regarding the PML-N’s alleged ties with some banned militant organisations – have continued to surface time and again.
Meanwhile, Faisalabad’s SSP Investigation Altaf Gondal has initiated departmental inquiry against 60 police officials, including SP Iqbal Town Zulfiqar, DSP Malik Khalid and SHOs of Samanabad and D-Type Colony police stations.
The SSP has also acquired footage of December 8 tragedy from the media houses to ascertain the negligence of police officials as well as officers, who did not take any action against the law violators.
Here it must be noted that none of the PTI leaders or activists appeared before the committee, which, they said, “is formed just to hoodwink the facts and to give a clean chit to the PML-N leadership”.
“We have no trust in a committee which is operating directly under the command of the Punjab chief minister,” said the PTI’s central leader Dr Asad Muazzam.
“How is it possible that a committee of government officials can dare to give verdict against Shahbaz Sharif government, which is bent upon politically eliminating the PTI at any cost,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2014.