14 February 2005	Monday	04 Muharram 1426

ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: The Director-General of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, said on Sunday an army captain accused of criminal assault on a lady doctor in the Sui PPL hospital was "under investigation".

In response to question, Gen Sultan did not confirm or deny if Captain Hammad had been taken into "custody" or "arrested". He said the investigations into the case were made by a Balochistan High Court judge and the officer was "under investigation".

Asked if the judge advocate-general (JAG) of the Pakistan Army was conducting investigations, the military spokesperson stuck to his earlier answer that the officer was under investigation by a BHC judge.

Military officials said the movement of the accused officer had been restricted. To arrest or take an officer into custody, a charge sheet has to be given to the accused and it has not been done so far in the case of Captain Hammad, said an official.

However, Captain Hammad was cooperating in the investigations being conducted by a BHC judge, the official said. In a related development, Pakistan Muslim Leauge (Nawaz) information secretary Siddiqul Farooq alleged that the accused captain is son of a serving general of the Pakistan Army.

Asked about the name of the general, the Pakistan Muslim Leauge (Nawaz) spokesperson said he would divulge the name if the army authorities contradicted him that Capt Hammad was not the son of a general.

Earlier on Thursday, the combined opposition had staged a token walkout from the Senate against what it said was a partial report on the Sui assault case by the Senate standing committee on petroleum and natural resources.

The report, titled "Senate Standing Committee on petroleum and natural resources on the recent incident which occurred at Sui gas field with special reference to version of PPL", was placed before the Senate prompting opposition senators to question the omission of allegations of criminal assault against the army official.

BNP Senator Sanaullah Baloch alleged that irrespective of the fact that Captain Hammad was involved in the incident or not, Pakistan Army as an institution was using different means to protect him.

He said many national leaders had been put behind bars on mere allegations while an army captain was being protected. The report had observed: "The PPL management at site was not only incapable but was also misdirected in handling the issue."

The report said the PPL management did not inform the police which the company management should have done immediately in any case. The report by the committee said: "The PPL MD apprised the committee that a lady doctor was allegedly robbed and physically assaulted during the night between January 2 and 3 at her residence adjacent to the company's hospital within the premises of Sui gas field."