16 cops being interrogated over Geo attack, NA panel told
ISLAMABAD: Sixteen police officials are being interrogated
over the attack on the offices of Geo television channel on March 16, Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah told a National Assembly committee here on Tuesday.
Shah informed the Standing Committee on Interior that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was probing the incident under Section 19 of the Anti Terrorism Act. He told the committee that an Inspector, Khalid Mehmood, who was the in charge of police squad that attacked the Geo, was also in police custody.
The JIT will complete the investigation of the case within seven days and submit a report to an Anti-Terrorism Court, he said.
He said a judicial inquiry into the incident was also under way and those found to be involved in the attack would be brought to justice.
The 16 police officials were on a video made by Geo TV at the time of the incident, he said, adding that after completion of the investigation the real culprits could be determined.
The committee meeting, chaired by its head MNA Sardar Talib Hassan Nakai, reviewed the law and order situation in the country.
Regarding the other incident of police action against lawyers in Lahore, Kamal Shah said Acting Chief Justice of Supreme Court Javed Iqbal had taken suo moto notice and ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter.
Earlier, Director General National Police Bureau Dr Shoaib Suddle briefed the committee about crime rate in the years 2005 and 2006.
The committee showed its concern over increase in crime rate in 2006 and directed the Interior Ministry to beef up measures to overcome the problem.
Shah said a number of measures including improvement of inter-provincial coordination and intelligence sharing, revamping of Rescue 15, capacity building of police through IT related projects, installation of CCTV security camera at commercial areas would help improve the situation.
He said under the Police Order 2002 the quality and performance of the police force is being improved. Replying to a query by MNA Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, the secretary said the strength of the police force had been enhanced in the four provinces. The government is giving full support to capacity building of police force, he added.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Law, Justice and Human Rights Chaudhry Shahid Akram Bhinder and MNAs Tahira Asif, Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha, Tehmina Daultana, Naheed Khan, Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Sadiq, Amjad Ali Warraich, and Muhammad Saeed Virk, and Home secretaries, IGPs, and DIGs of the four provinces.
Source: The News
Date:3/21/2007
” 
” 
” 
” 
