September 08, 2007	Saturday	Sha'aban 25, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Sept 7: Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Friday ordered an inquiry into a police raid on the house of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and the valuable things allegedly found missing from the house after the police left.

PML-N Punjab Vice-President Chaudhry Tanveer Ahmad moved the high court against the police highhandedness alleging that the police raided his house on September 2, harassed the family members and took away valuables.

Acting on the petition, Judge Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah directed the anti-corruption authorities to look into the allegations and submit a detail report in the court.

It may be mentioned here that an FIR was registered against the PML-N leader with Airport police station on September 3 in which he was charged with delivering anti-government speeches and making preparations to resist an attempt by the authorities to thwart rallies to welcome the arrival of Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz on September 10.

In another petition, Chaudhry Tanveer had prayed to the court that he needed protection from police harassment. The judge issued notices to the authorities concerned, asking them to submit their reply in response to the allegations.

Meanwhile he did not entertain another application which sought quashment of the FIR against the political leader.

Hearing another petition the judge snubbed the SHO city police station for booking a local leader of the PML-N, Zeeshan Ahmed, a union council naib nazim, in an old case after his production was ordered by the judge.

The petitioner, Zeeshan, had contended before the court that he was arrested on September 3 and was kept in illegal confinement at the police station. The court on Thursday had directed the SHO to produce the arrested man before the court on Friday.

SHO Zulfiqar apprised the court that Zeeshan was wanted in an FIR registered on June 14, 2002 under section 16 of Maintenance of Public Ordinance (MPO) for creating law and order.

Taking serious notice of disobedience on the part of the SHO, the LHC judge said: “Why should you not be sent to jail for confining a man without any charge and showing disrespect to the court orders.”

Sensing gravity of the situation Assistant Advocate General (AAG) Raja Abid told the court that the arrested man had been released and the judge asked the SHO to leave the court.