ISLAMABAD: A judicial inquiry into the storming of the Parliament House by Sikh protestors in May, over the burning of their holy book in Sindh, has found both the police and the federal capital administration responsible for the fiasco.

Essentially the inquiry, conducted by District and Sessions Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan, noted that Additional District Commissioner Abdul Sattar Essani permitted the protest rally when Sec 144 was in force in Islamabad and that police deployed at various points failed to stop the protestors going away from the designated area.

Know more: Sikhs storm parliament

Though enough manpower was available, the timely directions issued for action against the protestors came to a naught as they were not complied with, sources who have seen the report told Dawn.

“All the forces were deployed to monitor the rally of PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf) and no heed was paid to the relatively less important mob of comprising of Sikhs that ultimately entered into the parliament building,” the sources quoted the report as saying.

Police laxity beyond the Red Zone allowed the protestors to reach the Red Zone, according to the report.

Inside the Red Zone, SP City Mustansar Feroze, DSP Secretariat Fida Hussain Satti, SP Habibullah Niazi, ASP Zahida Bukhari in-charge of security in the parliament, and SHO Secretariat Abdul Rehman handled the situation in “a thoroughly unprofessional manner” by not stopping the entry of Sikhs through force, according to the inquiry report.

It was considered significant that the incident took place in the territorial jurisdiction of SP City, who was present at the scene. But his name did not surface in the police inquiry proceedings or even in the minutes of meeting of interior ministry.

It also found that the magistrate in-charge at the scene did not “properly assess” the situation and failed to pass order with promptitude and agility.

Instead of preventing the Sikh protesters they were facilitated in a manner that they were left escort-free in the non-Red Zone and duly escorted by the Quick Response Force to the Parliament, according to the report.

“Though this commission is not inclined to go into the controversy of PSP and non-PSP cadres, all the police officers suspended were non-PSP. Despite equal role and responsibility, no officer of PSP cadre was suspended. So a policy of pick and choose certainly seems to be working while taking action against the officers,” the sources quoted the report as saying.

Minutes of the law and order meeting held on May 23, and chaired by Interior Minister, SP National assembly Habibullah Niazi, DSP National Assembly Khalid Virk, DSP Bani Gala Safeer Bhatti, DSP Secretariat Fida Hussain Satti, SHO Secretariat Abdul Rehman, SHO Bhara Kahu Sattar Shah were held responsible for negligence and suspended.

But the notifications of suspension issued included the names of DSP Arshed Mehmood and DSP Mohammad Hussain Lasi, while no orders were passed with regard to ASP Zahida Bukhari who was performing duty in place of Khalid Virk, who was on leave.

When SSP Mohammad Ali Nekokara was confronted by the inquiry commission about this, he said it was “mere coincidence that all the officers suspended were non-PSP cadre”.

“Still no plausible explanation has come on record that if DSP Khalid Virk was absent and even then considered fit for suspension in that eventuality why the officers performing duty in his place was not considered equally responsible and fit in the same frame,” wonders the inquiry report.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2014