Although it has been six month since officials of Islamabad police tortured a carpenter to death in jail, the Industrial Area Police is still reluctant to submit a challan of the case, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sources in the police department said that the challan was not being submitted to buy more time and to build pressure on the victim’s family so that police could strike a deal with the victim’s widow.
The widow, Sumaira, told Pakistan Today that she was being pressurised to make a reconciliation deal with the accused officers.
“Instead of arresting the accused police officers, I am being pressurizing to strike a deal with the officers involved in my husband’s killing,” said Sumaira.
When the medical board of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences confirmed that Saadat had died due to the torture, Industrial Area Police registered an FIR against the accused SP Ishaq Warraich, ASP Khalil Ahmed Bhutta, SHO Sabzimandi Asjad Mahmood and three other police officials under sections 302 and 342 of PPC.
Saadat Ali had been arrested for his alleged involvement in a kidnapping case.
However, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) gave a clean chit to the SP and the SHO, while the responsibility was fixed on ASP Khalil Bhutta and four other police personnel.
The four constables were arrested and were still on judicial remand, but the police was reluctant to arrest the ASP, who supervised the torturing operation.
The accused ASP has been declared as proclaimed offender, but is still at large.
Meanwhile, Senate Committee on Human Right took a notice of the case and directed Islamabad IGP to appear before the committee meeting which likely to be held on April 14.
It is relevant to note here that last month, Sumaira lodged an application in the Supreme Court, seeking the apex court’s attention against the threats she was receiving from police officers.
In the application, she stated that she and her close family friends had received threatening calls and messages from different sources close to the suspected police officers.
“They are threatening to kidnap my children and creating fake cases against me and my family member if I pursue the case and do not agree to reconciliation,” she said.
