LAHORE, March 26: An additional district and sessions judge on Saturday summoned the Islampura station house officer on March 28 on a habeas corpus petition seeking registration of a case against some top ranking officials for allegedly detaining 73 PCS officers on March 18. Petitioners Rubina Kausar, a section officer of the Punjab government, and other officials of the PCS officers association alleged that Additional Chief Secretary Sami Saeed, Home Secretary Shahid Khan and Lahore DCO Ahad Cheema tried to sabotage a peaceful protest by PCS officers in the Civil Secretariat on March 18.

The officials also got peaceful demonstrators confined in the secretariat’s premises and later detained them at the Islampura police station unlawfully. They said the police, on the instructions issued by respondents, registered baseless criminal cases against 73 PCS officers/protesters.

Petitioners said they had also contacted the Islampura SHO to register a criminal case against the respondents, but to no avail.

They prayed to the court to order the registration of a case against respondents for detaining the officials illegally.

The court summoned the SHO on Monday (tomorrow).

Davis’s release: An application has been filed in the Lahore High Court, requesting it to seek explanation from Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, AD&SJ Muhammad Yousuf Aujla and others as to why they facilitated CIA contractor Raymond Davis in his acquittal and emergent departure despite the fact that his name was placed on the ECL.

Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffery filed this application on a pending matter relating to Davis’s release and asked the court to obtain affidavits from these respondents whether they had already been informed about the acquittal and his subsequent departure through a special plane already waiting for him at the Lahore airport.

He said the LHC had directed the interior ministry to place Davis’s name on the ECL and the court was also assured by a law officer and the ministry that the order had been complied with.

Barrister Jaffrey said the court order was in place when Davis was released and the LHC had not suspended or withdrawn its order and no such application was filed by any one on behalf of Davis.

He said in violation of the court order, Davis was allowed to leave Pakistan and Shahbaz Sharif claimed that he was not aware of the development.

The petitioner alleged the government and its functionaries released Davis ignoring order of the LHC through which his name was placed on the ECL.

directive to CCPO: An additional district and sessions judge on Saturday directed the Lahore CCPO to report to court on April 4 after registering a case against the Ghalib Market police SHO who did not bother to comply with the court orders.

AD&SJ Tariq Masood Bhatti issued these directions in a case filed by Mustansar Zafar who said he had taken a van (Suzuki) from Muslim Commercial Bank on installments. He said he was depositing installments regularly but payment due to some reason.

He said Farhatullah Baig, a bank official along with some recovery officers deprived him of the vehicle at Samanabad despite his assurance that he would settle dues. He told the court that he contacted the Ghalib Market police to seek justice but the SHO didn’t entertain him.

On last hearing the court had ordered the SHO to register a case against the respondents but he did not comply. The court directed the CCPO to register a case against the SHO under Section 155-C of Police Order 2002 and report to the court on April 4.