Police attack on lawyers, journalists SC to resume hearing next week
ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The Supreme Court (SC) is expected to resume next week hearing against use of force by the law- enforcement agencies to quell protests by lawyers, journalists and other civil society representatives on September 29 outside the SC building as well as in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
On Tuesday next, a three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Rana Bhagwandas and Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, will take up the complaint on a suo motu notice against police brutality that left over 70 lawyers, journalists and civil society members injured.
On October 1, the Supreme Court had ordered suspension of Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Inspector General of Police Moravat Ali Shah and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Naeem Khan after holding them responsible for the use of force against the lawyers, journalists and other civil society representatives.
On that day the capital had seen pitched battles on the Constitution Avenue after lawyers were manhandled, baton-charged and tear-gassed during a demonstration against President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s re-election bid when the Election Commission officials were scrutinising nominations of presidential candidates.
A number of journalists covering the event were also beaten up by riot police, plainclothesmen and anti-terrorist squad personnel. The baton-charge began minutes after Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, one of the proposers of Gen Musharraf as a candidate for the polls, had entered the Election Commission building and intensified when he was about to leave the place.
The court had also issued contempt of court notices to the deputy commissioner and the IG as well as Magistrate Irfan Ahmad to explain why they should not be punished for contempt of court for firing teargas shells inside the Supreme Court premises.
The Islamabad authorities are also required to inform the court about the specification of the gas shells used to subdue the protests and documents pertaining to their import.
Already notices have been issued to Interior Secretary Kamal Shah, chief commissioner, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner, duty magistrate Islamabad, Senior Superintendent of Police Islamabad, Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and the medical superintendent of the Federal Government Services Hospital commonly known as Polyclinic hospital to appear before the court on Tuesday.
Director news of different private television channels namely Geo, ARY and Aaj have also been asked to produce recordings of the incident.
The suo motu notice was taken on a note of the registrar of the Supreme Court who had brought to the attention of the chief justice about the serious clashes during which media personnel were also beaten up in front of the Election Commission.
The registrar had stated that the response from police was robust and highly excessive when the lawyers kept agitating and raising slogans. Security personnel in plain clothes also thrashed lawyers.
In another suo motu the same bench is also likely to take up on Monday the complaint about Munnu Bheel’s missing family, disappeared in 1998, on an application of a Swedish human rights activist, Torborg Isakssan.
Munnu Bheel and his family members along with 71 other ‘Haris’ engaged in bonded labour on the lands of a local ‘Wadera’ (feudal) Abdul Rehman Marri were rescued by a special task force of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) with the help of the local administration in 1996.
But on February 4, 1998 nine members of Munnu Bheel’s family were again kidnapped allegedly by the same landlord after the family refused to pay back a loan of Rs190,000 they owed to the feudal lord.
The abducted family members are Kheero (father, aged 70), Shirimati Akhu (mother, 60), Shirimati Moutan (wife, 40), Jalal (brother, 25), Shirimati Mumal (daughter, 13), Chamio (son, 10), Kanjee (son, 8), Shirimati Dhailee (daughter) and a relative Katro.
Later on the intervention of the apex court, the Sindh police arrested Abdul Rehman Marri, who earlier had absconded but subsequently surrendered when the court ordered forfeiture of his properties for his alleged involvement in the abduction of Munnu Bheel’s family. His bail application has already been dismissed by the court.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/21/2007
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