ISLAMABAD: Punjab Advocate General Khawaja Haris Ahmad on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that police was neither in the control of provincial government nor did it act on its advice.
He appeared before a three-member SC bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, which was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to a clashes taken place between police and lawyers at Aiwan-e-Adl on Oct 1.
The court directed Punjab Inspector General of Police Tariq Saleem Dogar to revive all FIRs registered against those allegedly involved in untoward incidents at the Aiwan-e-Adl but were later cancelled or quashed. The court asked the Punjab IG to conduct a fair investigation into the incidents and submit a report within a fortnight.
At the outset of the hearing, Haris informed the court that no progress had been made in the case, as police was not in control of anyone. He said police had “established their own state within the state”, adding however that he had written a letter to the Punjab chief minister in this regard.
The Punjab AG said he had asked police to register cases against the policemen involved in thrashing lawyers, but it did not. He said four FIRs were registered into the unfortunate incidents of violence, but last week those FIRs were cancelled or quashed by senior police officials. He said the IG should suffer as he was behind it.
The chief justice remarked, “Let it be settled once for all whether there should be the ‘rule of law’ or the ‘rule of the IG’ to prevail”. “Anyone who is considering himself above the law should be taken to task,” he said, adding that we would direct the government to take action against the Punjab IG for defying court orders. He said police had declared all unaccountable in its inquiry report.
Asked who had ordered him to cancel the FIRs, Dogar said Senator Kazim Khan, member of the ‘inquiry committee’ formed on the court’s order had said the case should be resolved through reconciliation and compromise. “In that perspective, I cancelled the FIRs,” he contended.
The chief justice said the court would not be satisfied if action was only taken against senior police officials. He said senior officials present at the scene and ordering police to beat lawyers at the Lahore Aiwan-e-Adl on October 1 should be sternly dealt with.
