01 January 2005	Saturday	19 Ziqa'ad 1425

LAHORE, Dec 31: A division bench of the Supreme Court was informed on Friday that more than 51,000 criminals had been declared by the police as proclaimed offenders across the Punjab. They include 22,715 court absconders.

The situation depicted in a report, submitted by additional advocate-general Muhammad Akbar Tarar on behalf of the Punjab IGP, was observed as alarming by court which directed the IGPs of the four provinces to assign special teams for the arrest of such fugitives.

It observed that they were usually hardened criminals involved in offences like murder, dacoity and terrorism. Comprising Justice Khalilur Rahman Ramday and Justice Falaksher, the bench also observed that society stood exposed to a potential danger in the wake of a large number criminals.

The apex court ordered the IGPs to make public the number of proclaimed offenders every month with report to court so that the people were informed about the police efforts on the arrest of such criminals.

The Punjab police report listed the Gujranwala Range on the top with 8,006 POs and 6,603 court absconders. The Faisalabad Range has 3,169 POs and 5,017 court absconders and Multan Range 3,394 POs and 3,937 as fugitive from the law.

The number of the POs in the Lahore Range was 2,961 and that of absconders of courts 1,234. The next on the table was the Bahawalpur Range with 1,046 POs and 921 court absconders, Dera Ghazi Khan Range with 1,025 POs and 867 court absconders and Sargodha Range with 764 POs and 473 court fugitives.

The court took exception to the report that was not authenticated by the Punjab IGP, as it was submitted on plain papers without the signatures of any competent officer. The court directed the law officer to secure a signed report to be included on the record.

COMMENTS SOUGHT: The Lahore High Court on Friday sought the Punjab home department and the Sialkot district police officer to offer by Jan 6 parawise comments on a writ petition through which an office bearer of the defunct Tehrik-i-Husainia had sought the permission to perform Haj.

The report from the Punjab government was sought in a writ petition moved by Kulsoom Akhtar, the wife of the detained Tehrik secretary Azhar Husain Naqvi, who contended that her husband was detained for three months under section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

She submitted that she had now received the Haj visa for the detenu who was scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia on Jan 21. She requested the court for the conditional release of her husband.