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| August 21, 2006 | Monday | Rajab 25, 1427 |
Police told to review surety bonds: Members of banned outfits
LAHORE, Aug 20: Punjab police have directed all district police officers (DPOs) in the province to review surety bonds furnished by members of outlawed religious outfits.
Sources told Dawn the exercise was aimed at checking the activities of the banned groups and their members. They said the DPOs had also been asked to record telephonic conversation of members (of banned groups) besides following each and every person they remained in touch with these days.
“The main purpose of the exercise is to track down all the contacts and persons who the members would talk to or meet with. It will help foil any anti-state activity being planned by the banned outfits.”
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), members of proscribed religious groups are placed in category A and B of schedule 4. Besides, police can bind them to furnish surety bonds that they would not indulge in any anti-state activity.
The category A members of the banned groups are bound to furnish a surety bond of Rs 500,000 to Rs one million, while the category B are required to furnish a bond of Rs 200,000 to Rs 500,000. Police are empowered under the ATA to send any of the members to jail for one year if and when they feel that someone has not been honouring the bonds.
The police sources say the DPOs have begun the exercise by calling in person all members of the banned outfit who have already furnished the bonds. “The DPOs are issuing them warnings of sending them to prison if their activities amount to any illegal act.”
Sources say the members of the banned groups are bound to inform police stations if they want to attend any public gathering, or want to visit a cinema, a public place, or want to leave their cities.
They say that once the exercise is completed, the situation will be discussed in a meeting to be attended by all the DPOs and officers from various intelligence agencies. The meeting will discuss as to who among the members be placed in category A from category B, or who be sent to jail to maintain law and order in the province.
City police chief Additional IGP Khwaja Khalid Farooq told Dawn that the members of the banned groups falling in schedule 4 of the ATA were being watched very closely. “We have instructions to take strict action, including sending someone behind bars in case of any violation to the surety bonds. We are reviewing the surety bonds and we will proceed accordingly against the violators.”
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