ISLAMABAD: The army pledged on Monday to dispense justice as it launched an investigation into a reported scuffle between its officials and police patrolling staff on a motorway and ensuing events.

“Law will take its course in disposing the case and justice will be done,” a military spokesman said in a statement on the Saturday incident.

The Inter-Services Public Rela­tions described the incident as “sad” and said that an inquiry was being conducted into the matter.

According to police, Captain Qasim and Captain Danial were signalled to stop on Peshawar-Islamabad motorway near Attock on Saturday by a motorway patrol for alleged “reckless driving”. The two officials driving their private vehicles did not pay heed to the signal and sped away. The patrol team chased them and brought them to a halt.

The drama started as Capt Qasim alighted from his car pointing his pistol at the patrol party while Capt Danial made a phone call and sought help from a nearby army unit. Four vehicles carrying some 25 soldiers led by Maj Zafran arrived at the place and assaulted the policemen.

Later the army men took the policemen to Attock Fort where they were kept in “wrongful confinement” till intervention by higher police officials, police said.

“On the written complaint of Sub-Inspector Atif Khattak, an FIR has been registered under Sections 279, 186, 353, 506, 365, 342, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code at Akora Khattak police station in Nowshera district,” an incident report by police said.

The charges relate to rash driving, obstructing a public servant in discharge of his duty, assault on a public servant, criminal intimidation and threatening to cause death or grievous hurt, kidnapping and rioting while armed with a deadly weapon. Most of the charges are non-bailable offences.

The military has not come up with its account of the incident.

The incident sparked a massive public outrage soon after it became public on Sunday afternoon, with social media getting flooded with thousands of postings asking for strong disciplinary action against the officers and soldiers involved in it.

The row has tarnished the military’s public image which it is desperately trying to improve.

A military official said that an investigation had just started and it would look into different aspects of the incident, including provocative factors. “There has been a history of harassment by motorway police at the section of the motorway where the incident took place,” he added.

Investigations into incidents involving military officers are seldom made public.

Last December, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Nauman Wazir was humiliated by military personnel at a check-post near Nowshera.

On Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani’s intervention, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif had promised to order an inquiry into the incident and share the findings with him. But nothing was heard about it afterwards.

Meanwhile, police are conducting an investigation into the latest incident.

Published in Dawn September 13th, 2016