Around 15 policemen, including two station house officers (SHO) accused of involvement in the Green Town and Lower Mall Police torture case, have escaped in order to save their skins, Pakistan Today has learnt through reliable sources.
Investigators declared six policemen and two private guards of an accused SHO, involved in torturing a son of on-duty constable Naveed Iqbal to death, as proclaimed offenders during the course of investigations.
The accused policemen from the Green Town Police, involved in torturing a 37-year-old man to death during custody, have also escaped from police custody after trial courts cancelled their bail a couple of days ago. Tahir Naveed, a resident of Chohan Road, Islampura died on May 1 in custody of the Lower Mall Police due to torture. A case has been registered at the New Anarkali Police Station against two inspectors, Naveed Azam and Maqsood Gujjar, three sub-inspectors (SI), Aleem Khan, Ashraf and Nasir Shah, two assistant sub-inspectors (ASI), Ghulam Nabi and Akbar Khan and three constables.
Investigators only managed to arrest the three constables and sent them to jail. During the course of investigation, Inspector Maqsood Gujjar was totally spared while Inspector Naveed Alam and the remaining policemen got interim bail from a trial court.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Naveed Iqbal, father of deceased Tahir Naveed alias Sunny, claimed that all main culprits have escaped and were not attending the investigation. He said that until a few days ago, ASI Akbar and Ghulam Nabi recorded their statements but now they have vanished as well. While talking about a case on his son, Naveed Iqbal said that all officers, who have investigated him, declared him innocent.
He said that his son was co-accused in a case of killing two policemen at a police picket in the Lower Mall Police Station precincts and picked up by the Lower Mall Police on information of the two main accused including Faisal Gujjar and Rashid Butt. Naveed said that according to Faisal Gujjar and Rashid Butt, his son had a gun, which he had snatched from the two deceased policemen. “I am surprised on my department’s behaviour. Investigators have released both Faisal Gujjar and Rashid Butt and they were observed roaming freely around the area”, Naveed said adding that it looks like that the case against his son was well-planned and well-executed.
The constable claimed that Inspector Maqsood Gujjar was equally responsible for the death of his son, as Tahir remained detained at his place in Ahmed Garden on Sharaqpur Road. He said that although a judicial inquiry has been ordered, which is continuing, he did not have much trust on the system and it looks that the culprits would be released at the end. Naveed requested the CJP to take personal interest in the case so that cops involved in the brutal killing of his son could meet their ultimate end.
Likewise, the case of deceased Ziaullah, a resident of 42/4-L village located in Okara, who died on April 27 in the Green Town Police’s custody, is still in doldrums and not even a single nominated accused was arrested by investigators. Talking to Pakistan Today, Malik Sharif, lawyer of Ziaullah, claimed that they have nominated five cops including the then Green Town SHO Mian Afzal, Chowki In-charge Hamdard Ali Asghar, three constables including Abid, Inam and Ghulam Akbar and four unidentified cops. He claimed that although investigation is underway and a judicial inquiry has also ordered but none of the aforesaid culprits have been arrested by investigators.
Sharif said that although DIG Aimlash Khan declared the aforesaid culprits guilty but investigation officer and Choong DSP Nasir Mushtaq seems to be uninterested in cooperating with them. He said that they have also nominated Green Town DSP Ijaz Rashid in the case on statements of Arshad, who was also in custody of the Green Town Police and severely tortured like Ziaullah. The lawyer said that he will request top cops of the Lahore Police to take back the case from the Choong DSP because he was no more eligible due to involvement of an on-duty DSP.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) (Investigations) Abdul Razzaq told Pakistan Today that investigations in both cases are underway and police will soon arrest the criminals involved in both cases. He said that according to his information, investigators are facing problems in the Lower Mall incident where the incident of Green Town is quite simple. Razzaq said that, two days ago, the DIG investigation talked to both SPs of the Investigation Wing and ordered them to present the challan in the trial courts after arresting the criminals.
According to sources in the investigation wing, investigators and all accused involved in the two cases are trying to reach the family to settle the matter. Even Naveed Iqbal was offered a settlement by different top cops. Both these cases are quite similar to the incident of a killing of a youth in a fake encounter by police in Nishtar Colony or killing of a youth by Rangers in Karachi and killing of innocent people by security officials at Kharotabad.
