August 19, 2006	Saturday	Rajab 23, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 18: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Punjab police chief to arrest a superintendent of police who abused a court bailiff and stopped him from carrying out court orders.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi further directed IG Punjab Ziaul Hasan to book SP City Rawalpindi Maqsood Ahmed, SHO PS Civil Lines Rawalpindi Sohail Ehsan and others for flouting apex court’s orders regarding recovery and production of an accused, Nazir Ahmed and submit report of compliance, in person, on Monday.

Nazir Ahmed has been detained by the police for two years for his alleged involvement in an assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf. He is alleged to have supplied arms to the main accused and was arrested by the Civil lines Police two years ago. He has been in police custody without any FIR.

Shah Zaman, a relative of detainee Nazir, moved the Lahore High Court through a habeas corpus petition and Justice Shakoor Paracha of the Rawalpind bench of the LHC appointed Tariq Mehmood as bailiff to recover the detainee.

In his report to the court, the bailiff stated that the said police officials did not allow him to recover the detainee. He stated that he found Nazir Ahmed in the police lockup but there was no record of his detention in the ‘roznamcha’ (daily diary).

He said he seized the record but when he tried to take the detainee along with him, the police officer on duty snatched the roznamcha from him and forcibly removed Nazir Ahmed from the scene. The officer told him that Nazir was involved in a high-profile case of attack on General Pervez Musharraf therefore his custody could not be handed over to any bailiff. The bailiff further alleged that he was abused by the SP.