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| August 17, 2002 | Saturday | Jamadi-us-Saani 7, 1423 |
‘Police looted, tortured Sri Saral residents’
ISLAMABAD, Aug 16: Several policemen looted valuables from the Sri Saral villagers, tortured them and opened indiscriminate firing after entering their homes when the latter put up resistance against the ‘illegal operation’ launched to demolition their houses.
This was claimed by the counsel for the villagers, Dr Babar Awan, while making his representation on the incident before the judicial commission, comprising District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Ahmed Farooq, on Friday.
After the villagers’ counsel’s representation, the commission concluded its public hearings and, now, after consulting member technical, an FIA deputy director, on the same issue, it would submit its report to the government. The commission during its over 10 days of public hearings, recorded the statements of 64 police personnel including the ADCG, assistant commissioner (rural), city magistrates and nine SHOs of the capital, who had jointly supervized the operation on July 29. Moreover, the statements of 25 villagers, including the relatives of those wounded and killed, were also recorded.
The commission, on its last day of hearing, was also shown two video films — one recorded by the capital police and the other by the FIA. The films showed smashing of the CDA vehicles’ window pans and villagers armed with old-fashioned guns and pistols taking positions.
When the commission asked the counsels for the CDA about the absence of the scenes of cross-firing, the counsel, Tariq Jehangiri, said the films were made after the exchange of fire took place.
Earlier, the villagers’ counsel appealed to the commission to recommend registration of FIRs of murder, loot and torture against the police officials concerned, specially against the CDA director enforcement, Chaudhary Mohammad Ali.
He maintained that the police crossed all limits of morality and decency, and after entering the houses of the poor villagers, tortured them and looted their valuables, including jewellery, cash, blankets and even utensils.
Answering a question, he said there were several precedents wherein police registered two FIRs of one particular event.
The CDA counsel, Tariq Jehangiri, however, argued that the versions of the two sides could be mentioned in one particular FIR and there was no need to register two FIRs about the same event.
The villagers’ counsel argued that the demolition operation was totally illegal, as the counsels for the CDA had admitted that the authority had not cleared dues of at least 25 villagers.
He insisted that the CDA ordinance of 1960 was exploited by the authorities for unfair gains. He appealed to the commission to recommend the government to repeal this law in the interest of the old dwellers of Islamabad.
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