In a strange case with many twists and turns two men were illegally detained by the capital police for months and then secretly released without procedure. Later, following underhanded deals, those detained reached a settlement with the police and no official was punished.

Separate petitions were filed with the court by Mohammad Hussain for the recovery of his son Mohammad Waseem, allegedly arrested on February 22 from Pims and Hafeez Akhtar for the recovery of his brother, Abdul Waheed, taken away on January 17 from G-6/3.

Both petitioners alleged the men were detained at the Crime Investigation Department (CID) building in Bhara Kahu.

An additional sessions judge (ASJ) on April 18 ordered the recovery of the two men and appointed a bailiff to visit the CID wing Bhara Kahu. In his report, submitted to the court, when the bailiff reached the CID wing Bhara Kahu, he was kept waiting outside the gates.

Ten minutes later, he was let in by the gatekeeper and taken to the room of the Moharrar.

The bailiff was told the men are not at the CID wing and there was no record of their names in the daily diary. One of the petitioners accompanying the bailiff told him that while he was with the Moharrar, a car with tinted windows left the CID premises with the missing men onboard.

Later, Abdul Waheed was found near Lal Masjid while Mohammad Waseem managed to reach his house.

The men, following their release, recorded their accounts through separate petitions filed in court, and requested for FIRs to be registered against those officials who detained them.

The court ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Islamabad to conduct an inquiry into the incident and record the statements of the detained men.

Mohammad Waseem, in the statement submitted to court, said that he was arrested from Pims on February 22 by an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and taken to Aabpara police station. After this, he was taken to Bhara Kahu police station, from where he was shifted to the CID Wing.

Similarly, Abdul Waheed informed the court that a superintendent of police, an inspector, a sub-inspector and a constable arrested him along with two other persons from a house in G-6/3 on January 17 and took them to a police station. Later the two persons were released and on January 21, he was taken to the CID wing.

Both men stated that they were subjected to physical and mental torture. They also requested legal action against those officials who detained them.

After receiving the orders from court, the SSP Islamabad on April 22 asked SP Industrial Area to conduct an inquiry and submit the report.

Meanwhile, the police officials behind the alleged illegal detention, managed to obtain affidavits from the four petitioners. Both parties submitted separate affidavits stating that they no longer wish to pursue the cases as they have reached a settlement with the accused officials.

A police officer, requesting anonymity, said Abdul Waheed was arrested for his alleged involvement in an incident of theft at the house of a relative of the interior minister while nine separate cases, including charges of drug peddling and auto-theft, were registered against Mohammad Waseem.

A CID official, on the condition of anonymity, said the men had been illegally detained at the CID building following orders by a senior officer. An official at the Aabpara police station also said that a senior officer had ordered for the men to be illegally detained.

The staff at the house in G-6/3, from where Abdul Waheed was arrested, told Dawn that the house belonged to a barrister who was a relative of the interior minister. They said the police arrested three men from the house, in connection with an incident of theft.

Abdul Waheed and his brother, who are natives of Haripur tehsil could not be contacted, despite repeated attempts.

However, Mohammad Waseem’s father was traced and he told Dawn they reached a settlement because the police threatened them.

“Nine cases have already been registered against my son and the police threatened to arrest him under any one of these cases, unless we signed the affidavit,” he said.

He said the police have framed his son in these cases. He refused to say who approached him for the signing of the affidavit.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2015

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