ISLAMABAD: Former member of the National Assembly (MNA) and senior ANP leader Bushra Gohar had to wait for eight years to get a response from the capital police in connection with her complaint regarding a threatening letter she received from extremist elements.

Ms Gohar, who is the senior vice-president of Awami National Party (ANP), had lodged a complaint with the Secretariat police in 2008 soon after a threatening letter allegedly sent by a religious outfit was delivered to her Parliament Lodges residence.

She personally appeared the then secretary interior, Syed Kamal Shah, and informed him about the letter. Soon afterwards, the police visited her residence and registered a complaint.In a letter written to the station house office (SHO) of Secretariat police on March 24, 2016, Ms Gohar reminded the police of her complaint, adding she had also provided the copy of the threatening letter to the police.

“I received no information on the status of my complaint until March 24, 2016, when a police official called me and requested for a meeting regarding my complaint,” the former MNA said.

She suspected that the copy of the threatening letter she had attached with her complaint might have been misplaced by the police.

She expressed surprise over the performance of the capital police.

“If this is how a member of parliament is treated by the Islamabad police, what would be the fate of a complaint lodged by an ordinary citizen,” she said in her letter.

When contacted, additional SHO Mohammad Yasin said the investigation was launched eight years ago but he assumed the charge a month ago and contacted the former MNA to get more information about the threatening letter.

“It is a wrong impression that the investigation was stopped and started again. Being the new investigation officer, I need to get in touch with the complainant to resolve the case,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2016