Obstruction: Police request reinstatement of case against Dasti

Dasti had led agitation against a dyke breach in Muzafargarh last year.

MULTAN:

Justice Mazhar Iqbal of the Multan bench of Lahore High Court on Monday summoned the Muzafargarh DPO and National Assembly member Jamshed Dasti on June 8 for their comments on a petition challenging the ruling of a sessions court dismissing a police application against Dasti for impeding disaster management efforts during floods last year.

The police, in their appeal to the high court, said Dasti had led an agitation against the district government and the provincial government when it was decided that a dyke would be breached to shift the direction of flood water from Multan to Muzafargarh.



Some 50 people were injured when police baton charged the protesters sitting on the dyke. Police said the protesters, encouraged by Dasti, had clashed with police for several hours.

Police had registered an FIR against 200 people, including Dasti, under Sections 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempted murder), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The case had been registered on the complaint of DPO Rai Zameerul Haq.

Dera Ghazi Khan District and Sessions Judge Abdul Mustafa Nadeem had quashed the case against Dasti and eight others in September last year.

The district police of Muzafargarh on Monday challenged the ruling and asked the court to reinstate the original FIR.

The district governments of Multan and Muzaffargarh had breached five dykes last year to minimise damage caused by floods.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dasti said he was being victimised for highlighting corruption, mismanagement and inept handling of the situation by the district administration.

He said the administration had breached the Doaaba dyke when the water level was low and flow was not more than 550,000 cusecs.

He said some 200 people had attacked him and smashed windows of his vehicle.

He said citizens had a right to questions decisions of officials that would affect their lives. “The people are the real stakeholders,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2015.