PESHAWAR, Oct 19: A full bench of the Supreme Court here on Friday summoned the DIG, Kohat Range, for promoting a police inspector involved in the murder of D.I.Khan SSP Ijaz Ahmad Langrial.

The bench— comprising Justice Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Justice Tanveer Ahmad Khan and Justice Falak Sher— expressed astonishment over the promotion of an accused and directed that the police official should appear in person on Oct 21.

The issue came before the bench while hearing an application filed by the provincial government for the bail cancellation of two of the accused in the case, Saadat Hussain and Ahsan Haider Shah.

The Peshawar High Court had allowed the bail, against which the government filed an instant request to cancel it. The SSP was killed on May 7, 2001, in D.I.Khan by unidentified gunmen who were riding a motorcycle.

Advocate Sanaullah Ghandapur appeared for the two accused and argued that neither the motorcycle in question belonged to them nor there was any evidence against them.

He pointed out that an inspector, Enayat Shah, had also been charged with the same crime and arrested, but he had been allowed bail later by the High Court.

The provincial government had filed a bail cancellation application against the two accused, but had not filed any application against the bail plea of the inspector, he added.

The court inquired from the prosecution, DSP Akber Ali, whether the inspector had been investigated or not for the case.

Mr Ali told the court that neither he had been engaged in the investigation nor any application to cancel his bail had been moved.

He also confirmed that the inspector had been given a shoulder-promotion, and that now he was performing as a sub-divisional police officer, Karak.

The additional advocate general of the NWFP, Ms Mussarat Hillali, appeared for the provincial government and argued that the accused had been charged for the murder and were not entitled to bail.