MANSEHRA: The district police on Tuesday booked three Balakot police officers and a driver over the death of a suspected robber allegedly by severe torture.

The development comes in the wake of the two-day blockade of the Karakoram Highway by the deceased’s family members.

The protesters had linked their dispersion to the registration of criminal cases against Balakot DSP Mukhtar Shah, SHO Sajjad Ahmad, officer in charge of investigation Ali Akbar and police driver Mohammad Riaz before suspension.

Family of deceased end two days KKH blockade

Mansehra district police officer Ahsan Saifullah held talks with district nazim Sardar Said Ghulam, local MPA Sardar Zahoor and Mian Ziaur Rehman and assured them of dispensation of justice to the family of the deceased.

The protesters later dispersed peacefully.

They earlier blocked the highway for the second consecutive day by placing the body of Ghulam Hussain on the road.

Shouting slogans against the police, the protesters blocked the KKH for more than an hour suspending traffic and warned they would stay put until action was taken against the suspects.

They earlier marched from Sunahri Masjid to Gazikot area and blocked the KKH for more than two hours. The KKH blockade forced commuters, including women and children, to cover long distances by foot.

“This case will proceed in light of the postmortem report and other solid evidence. The suspected robber, who died in hospital during the judicial remand, was a chronic kidney patient,” the DPO told reporters.

He said the FIR was lodged on the demand of protesters and that the police were not involved in torturing the robbery suspect.

The DPO said the police had arrested five people, including Ghulam Hussain, for a robbery in Balakot and family, which was robbed, identified the deceased as one of them and recorded a statement before a local judge in this respect.

SUSPENDED: Mansehra deputy commissioner Iqbal Hussain on Tuesday suspended three absentee patwaris of Baffa Patwar Circle.

A team formed by the DC to check absenteeism in the revenue department paid a surprise visit to Baffa Patwar Circle offices and found Mohammad Shiraz, Qazi Amir and Sardar Tahir to be absent from duty.

The team led by the assistant commissioner later reported absenteeism to the DC, who ordered the immediate suspension of all three patwaris and the start of a departmental inquiry against them.

The DC told reporters that he had received many complaints of litigants about the frequent absence of patwaris from the revenue offices and therefore, he formed a special team to look into the matter.

POSTINGS AND TRANSFERS: The inspector general of prison, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has issued posting and transfer orders of the department’s officials in Hazara division.

According to the orders, superintendent of Mansehra district jail Abdul Qayyum was transferred and posted in the same position at central jail Haripur, while Tahir Shahbaz was transferred from the district jail Mardan to district jail Mansehra as superintendent.

Syed Zainul Arifeen was transferred from district jail Mansehra and posed to district jail Abbottabad at his same position as deputy superintendent.

Superintendent of district jail in Dasu (Upper Kohistan) Zahid Khan was transferred and posted in the same position in district jail in Tamergarah.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2017