Kasur child abuse: ‘Police are registering false cases against us’

DPO dismisses harassment allegations, says JIT is probing all aspects of the case

LAHORE: The family of a Kasur sex scandal suspect allegedly killed in custody has claimed police are registering false cases against them.

Muhammad Shafi, a brother of Tanzeelur Rehman, was found dead on August 14. Police claim he died in a traffic accident.

Adnan Liaquat, a nephew of Muhammad Shafi, said that six people, including policemen, had abducted Shafi on gun-point from Hussain Khanwala on August 3.

On August 16, Khadim Hussain, brother of Shafi, registered a murder case with Nishtar Colony police against CIA Kasur Inspector Ghulam Farid, Dhengary SHO Malik Tariq Mehmood, Mubeen Ghzanavi, Master Ahmad Din, Sultan Rana and Ibrahim.

Liaquat said that four more cases had been registered against his family members after August 16. “None of these cases is related to child abuse. Police are registering the cases to force us to withdraw the murder case,” he said.

He said Rehman had been arrested by police even though he had been granted bail by Lahore High Court.

“On August 26, the Joint Investigation Team called him to Husaain Khanwala to record his statement. When he went there, some miscreants attacked him. Police took him and his brother Khadim Hussain to the police station on the pretext of protecting them.

A case was later registered against them by the people who had attacked them. Police then told him he was under arrest,” he said.

“On August 16, an FIR was registered against Kulsum Bibi, the wife of Muhammad Yahya (a brother of the deceased) and Nabeela, Yahya’s daughter, under sections 506 (intimidation), 452(house trespass) of the PPC. “The complainants alleged that they had attacked their house. How this is possible at a time when police are stationed in the village as Shafi was being buried?” he asked.

He said that another FIR was registered against Rehman, Salim Akhtar Sherazi, Aleem Asif, Ateequr Rehman and Khadim Hussain on charges of abduction, forgery and criminal intimidation related to an incident that allegedly occurred on July 16, 2015.

He said that another FIR was registered on the complaint of Azeem on charges of criminal intimidation and fraud against Aleem Asif and Faheem Adnan on August 22. “The complainant claims that Asif and Adnan threatened him over the phone even though they were in police custody at that time,” he said.

He said that 13 persons had been accused of sodomy in the 20 FIRs registered in the Kasur scandal. “Registering cases against members of just one family is a clear sign of police trying to put pressure on us,” he said.

Kasur DPO Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said that the Joint Investigation Team was investigating all Hussain Khanwala related cases. “Police are neither putting pressure on anyone nor trying to influence the investigation,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2015.