PESHAWAR: PTI MPA Haji Fazal Ilahi on Monday accused the Hayatabad police of harassing the innocent people by conducting raids on houses and warned if the Hayatabad ASP wasn’t transferred within 24 hours, he along with his voters would stage a sit-in outside the assembly building today (Tuesday).

The lawmaker told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club that he had complained to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Capital City Police Officer Mubarak Zeb against ASP Hassan Afzal and if they didn’t transfer the official, he would hold a rally and stage a sit-in.

Accompanied by dozens of the people belonging to Khalil, Mohmand and Afridi tribes, including councillors, the MPA said five days ago, a police party headed by the Hayatabad ASP had conducted several raids in Hazarkhwani area and picked many people but two of them, including Khalidullah and Pervez, were still in the police’s custody without registration of FIR against them.

He accused the Hayatabad ASP of conducting raids on the houses of innocent people in areas out of his jurisdiction and demanded that the government transfer him otherwise he along with his voters would observe a sit-in outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building today (Tuesday).

Accuses ASP of harassing innocent people by conducting raids on houses

“The ASP has conducted several raids in different localities, especially in Sarband, and arrested innocent people.

“However, no action was taken against him. We have complained to the CM and CCPO but they didn’t take the immediate action forcing us to come onto the roads,” he said.

The MPA alleged that the ASP was also involved in the firing on a motorcar in Hayatabad recently, which claimed a life.

He also said two youths were allegedly in the police’s custody and that he feared they would have either been disappeared or implicated in false cases.

“We have to raise morale of the police as they deserve appreciation for action against terrorism but the people like Hayatabad ASP are tarnishing the image of the entire force,” he said.

The MPA alleged that during the Hazarkhwani raid, the policemen wore masks and thus creating confusion if they’re policemen or personal employees of the ASP.

He said Hazarakhwani was located in the City Circle, where the Hayatabad police had no right to interfere.

“The people of our area have personal enmities but they are not involved in any kind of terrorist activity,” he said.

When contacted, ASP Hassan Afzal claimed he had conducted the Hazarkhwani raid on the directives of the SSP (operations) to arrest a suspected criminal, Malangy.

“According to the police records, the suspect is involved in more than one dozen cases of murder and target killings but some political activists helped him flee through the backdoor during the police raid,” he said.

The ASP denied keeping anyone in the illegal custody and said all suspects had been freed soon after the raid and that his bosses knew well about the action.

He claimed that there was a criminal gang in Hazarkhwani, which was also involved in many Peshawar city target killings.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2016