PESHAWAR, Feb 28: The Peshawar High Court was informed on Thursday that four police officials allegedly involved in illegal confinement and torture of a local lawyer had been arrested whereas an ASP was granted transit bail by the Lahore High Court.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Mrs Irshad Qaiser directed the investigation officer to produce complete investigation report on March 14, the next date of hearing.

The lawyer, Furqan Ahmad, was allegedly taken into custody by local officials of Gulberg police station on Feb 7 during a scuffle between two armed groups. The lawyer was allegedly kept in illegal custody and beaten up, which resulted in multiple injuries following which he remained hospitalised for many days.

The legal fraternity here had launched a protest movement and on an application sent by the PHC Bar Association the chief justice had taken suo motu notice of the incident.

During previous hearing the provincial police officer, Akber Khan Hoti, and Peshawar capital city police chief Imtiaz Altaf had told the bench that the police were at fault in the present case.

An investigation officer of Gulberg police station told the bench on Thursday that an FIR was registered wherein five of the officials were charged for keeping the lawyer in illegal confinement and injuring him.

He stated that four of the officials were arrested and sent to prison by the judicial magistrate whereas ASP Ali Akber was granted transit bail by LHC, directing him to approach the concerned court till March 5.

The official said that when the lawyer was arrested the police had also taken into custody some weapons, including a Kalashnikov, which were also recorded in the diary report.

He added that the weapons were returned, but now they needed them back for investigation purpose while the lawyer had not been cooperating.

Advocate Waqar Ahmad, appearing for the complainant Furqan Ahmad, contended that the police had recovered two licenced pistols. He refuted that any Kalashnikov was recovered from the complainant by the police.

The bench ordered that in case the ASP approached the local court for pre-arrest bail and the same was rejected then he should be arrested. The court directed the complainant to present the pistols for investigation purpose. Meanwhile, the bench directed the provincial finance secretary to conduct a survey of all government departments and compile lists of such employees who had been residing on the premises of these departments and receiving conveyance allowance.

The bench issued these orders after rejecting a writ petition filed by a local doctor, Shahsawar Khan, who had challenged a para of an audit report wherein objection was raised against him for receiving conveyance allowance while living on the premises of Hayatabad Medical Complex.

The bench observed that when he was provided accommodation in the hospital then why he had been receiving conveyance allowance.