Medialogic case: Police kidnap Shaista’s brother once again

Majid Mushtaq picked up on the pretext of inquiry

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab police have turned the province into a police state. They have formed a nexus with media ratings company Medialogic against Express News.

The Race Course station house officer (SHO) in Rawalpindi kidnapped Shaista Mushtaq’s brother Majid on the pretext of inquiry.

Policemen tried to take him to Lahore, though initially they had told the family that they were going to Muridke. All the efforts of the law enforcers to extract a favourable statement from Shaista have failed.

After Express News exposed the conspiracy, the police officials brought Majid back and dropped him off at his house.

Rawalpindi Capital Police Officer Israr Abbasi had visited Shaista’s house on Wednesday night. He said he wanted to take Majid to Muridke to record the statement of the waiter.

The Race Course SHO arrived at the house with a police party at 8am on Thursday and said the law enforcers wanted to take him to Muridke to the restaurant employee who had waited on the two handcuffed brothers and the police party.

However, for some reason the police tried to deliver him to the Crime Investigation Agency of the Lahore police.

Police tried to persuade Majid to withdraw the case and reach a compromise, but he jumped out of the police vehicle at Kala Shah Kaku. He was, however, recaptured. The law enforcers snatched his mobile phone and whisked him away to hold him hostage.

Before his mobile was snatched, Majid had informed his brother that the police officials were taking him to Lahore for a meeting with an officer.

His brother Wajid informed Express News that the police had once again kidnapped his brother and was trying to take him to CIA SP Omar Virk.

Express News immediately broke the news, following which CPO Israr Abbasi denied the allegation. He said the SHO had just passed by the hotel to avoid the media there.

“The purpose is to identify the restaurant, and since that purpose has been achieved, the police party is returning to Rawalpindi via the motorway.”

He was reminded that he had visited Shaista’s house and said that the waiter’s statement was to be recorded but now the SHO was taking Majid to Lahore by force. The CPO refuted the claim.

Shaista’s family has demanded that SP Virk, DSP Dawood Malik and Inspector Bashir Niazi be meted out exemplary punishment.


Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2015.