November 03, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 21, 1428

MULTAN, Nov 2: The Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench on Friday directed the Khanewal district police officer and officials of police stations, who were served with contempt of court notices on Oct 31, to appear in plainclothes instead of uniform during the next hearing on Nov 5.

The court had summoned the accused police officials on Friday and, according to the petitioner’s counsel, expressed resentment to see the officials in police uniform.

Hajiran Bibi, a resident of Khanewal, filed a petition that the Khanewal Saddar police arrested her son, Abdul Shakoor, a month ago in a murder case and ever since he was being tortured at various police stations.

Illegally detained, she pleaded that her son had not been presented in any court and that the police wanted to kill him in an encounter.

Earlier, Makhdoompur Pahoraan SHO Muhammad Yousaf took stand in court that the police did not arrest Abdul Shakoor. The court, however, summoned Khanewal DPO Shahid Hanif.

Advocate Syed Athar Shah, the counsel for petitioner, told this correspondent that during previous hearing on Wednesday, DPO Shahid Hanif, Saddar police station SHO Qalb-i-Sajjad, Makhdoompur Pahooran SHO Yousaf and sub-inspector Muhammad Zakir had sworn by the holy Quran that Shakoor was not in the custody of the Khanewal police.

He said in the meantime he (the counsel) forwarded a note scribbled on a slip to Justice M.A. Shahid Siddiqui and the court summoned the counsel in his room where he told the honourable judge that Abdul Shakoor was detained in the house of SHO Yousaf.

He said the judge obtained the cellphones of all the police officials and rang up Muhammad Yousaf from the DPO’s cellphone and asked about the detainee. When the other side confirmed the arrest of Shakoor, the court immediately sent for the bailiff that recovered the detainee who could not stand straight owing to the police torture.

He said the court had served the contempt notices on the DPO and other police officials who kept the corridor of justice.

Taking strong exception to the case, the court observed that “the police have made a mess of things as they take false oaths and turn up in uniform, showing disrespect for the court”.

The DPO, said Justice Siddiqui, had tried to be officious by using intercessions that was very disgraceful. “The police seem to have no regard for faith and religion”, was what he said repeatedly.

As Assistant Advocate-General Muhammad Qasim came to court as the counsel of the accused, the judge reprimanded him and asked him if he would be able to defend the accused who had committed the contempt of court. The court directed the accused to hire their private lawyers.

Meanwhile, a medical board of Nishter Hospital confirmed to court through a report that bones of Shakoor had broken.

It is pertinent to mention that SHO Muhammad Yousaf is allegedly involved in a case of torture of five journalists of Makhdoompur Pahoraan after stripping them because they sent a news regarding the increasing crime ratio in the jurisdiction of the police station in question.