June 18, 2007	Monday	Jumadi-us-Sani 02, 1428

ISLAMABAD, June 17: It is hard to believe but the Barakahu police has registered a criminal case against its Station House Officer and a serving air force officer here on Sunday.

Police sources said the case of attempted murder was filed by one Saifullah Abbasi and appeared to be an offshoot of a land dispute in Phulgaran area.

SHO Majeed continued to head Barakahu station and police said he would be removed from duty if an inquiry substantiated the charges against him.

In his report to the police, Mr Abbasi accused SHO Abdul Majeed, Wing Commander Nobahar Abbas and Raja Nighat, son of a member of the National Assembly, of chasing his car and opening fire on him and his companion Syed Babar Shah when he stopped near Chattar in the early hours of Sunday.

Their bullet wounds were treated at the Federal Government Services Hospital in Islamabad after which they left for their native town of Abbottabad, according to Mr Abbasi.

Police dismissed it as self-inflicted wounds and a cooked up story.

They connected Mr Abbasi’s allegations to a FIR registered by Wisal Khan, caretaker of the air force officer’s land in Phulgaran, some eight hours.

In the FIR, Wisal Khan alleged that one Haji Liaquat and his armed men had raided the officer’s 175 kanals of land on June 16 and occupied part of it.

Police said Haji Liaquat, who once owned land in Phulgaran but had sold all of it, failed to prove his claim on the seized land but the air force officer did. It was alleged that Liaquat belonged to land mafia against whom several cases were pending with the police.

His nephew and son-in-law Nasir, whose father is an MNA, was said to be a friend of Mr Abbasi.