January 27, 2007	Saturday	Muharram 07, 1428

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LAHORE, Jan 26: A full bench of the Lahore High Court on Friday directed Punjab Chief Secretary Salman Siddique to make necessary changes in postings in the capital city police by Feb 4 (next month) to bring them in conformity with the Police Order, 2002.

Comprising Justice Muzammil Khan, Justice M Bilal Khan and Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi, the bench issued the direction after the chief secretary conceded that some of the appointments and postings in the capital city police were not in accordance with the police order.

Siddique also assured the court that necessary changes would be made by the given date to bring the appointments and postings in conformity with the police order.

The chief secretary made the admission in a report he submitted to the court during the proceedings of additional advocate general Arif Bhinder’s murder case.

In its last hearing on Jan 19, the court had ordered the chief secretary and Punjab IGP Ahmad Naseem to explain the position on police officers appointments and postings besides progress in the AAG’s case and the overall law and order situation.

The bench on Friday also issued contempt of court notice to Lahore police chief Anwar Virk and investigation police DIG Azam Joya, directing them to file their replies within a week.

The notices said: “As to why not you be proceeded against under the relevant provisions of the law for deliberately lowering the dignity of this court by attempting to influence the pending proceedings.” The court further said the police officers had convened a press conference on Jan 24 and dilated upon matters related to the case which was already being heard by the court. “This activity amounts to interfere in the proceedings of this court.”

Both the officers were verbally required to explain their position on Friday but they could not offer any satisfactory explanation, the order said. Hence, the order added, they are issued a show-cause notice under section 3 and 4 of the Contempt of Court Act, 1976, read with Article 204 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.

On the postings issue, the court order said: “We have examined the report submitted by the chief secretary. He frankly conceded that some of the appointments in the capital city of Lahore were not in accordance with the Police Order, 2002. He sought time to rectify the situation, as immediately the rectification thereof may not be possible because of impending Ashura. He, however, assured that necessary changes would be made to bring the postings in accordance with the police order by Feb 4, and we accordingly direct him to abide by his undertaking and submit a report on next date of hearing.”

The court further said that advocates appearing in the case had some reservations regarding the constitution of the joint investigation team, and the IGP undertook to address their concerns regarding the inclusion of an officer from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) because one of the accused in the Bhinder case happened to be a bureau employee.

As regard to the arrest of those accused who were still at large, the IGP and the DIG held out an assurance that no effort would be spared to bring them to book, the court order said, adding that the IGP had requested for another week time by placing it on record that he was taking appropriate measures to curb the street crime and that his efforts were likely to yield results shortly.