LAHORE, Sept 9: The Lahore High Court chief justice on Monday gave last opportunity to the Punjab government to come up with a clear reply as to when it was going to hold local government election in the province. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial was hearing a petition filed by Local Councils Association Punjab (LCAP) President Syed Asghar Shah Gilani in 2010.

The CJ observed that despite a lapse of almost three years since the case was filed, the government failed to submit the poll date.

A government law officer told the court that the Local Government Law 2013 had been passed by the provincial assembly and soon it would be enforced. He said the government would announce the poll date after the enforcement of the new law.

The chief justice adjourned the hearing till Sept 25 and directed the government’s counsel to come up with the poll date.

The petitioner sought court’s direction for the provincial government to hold the local government election.

Death in ‘custody’ case

The Faisalabad regional police officer (RPO) informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday that the man picked from former opposition leader Raja Riaz’s factory weeks ago might have been killed in police custody and his body had yet to be found.

RPO Javed Islam stated this in a report submitted on a habeas corpus petition moved by Nighat Bano for the recovery of her husband, Khwaja Ammar Azeem.

The petitioner submitted that the police arrested her husband from the factory of Raja Riaz, where he was an employee, and never produced him before any court of law. She said the footage of a CCTV installed in the factory, showing arrest of Azeem, was also provided to the police.

The petitioner said the police claimed that her husband escaped the custody and since then his whereabouts were not known to anybody. She alleged the police might have killed her husband.

The police officer stated there were apprehensions that the police personnel had thrown the body in the Faisalabad canal. He said the department had been requested to close the canal so the body could be retrieved.

The RPO said the police found a body having resemblance with the victim and DNA test would be conducted to ascertain the identification. He said two weeks were required for the test.

Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik said he was dismayed at the report and observed there was no difference between the police and criminals as both were killing people. The judge asked the RPO as to how police officers sleep well at night after such cruel acts. The judge directed the RPO to complete the investigation of the case by Sept 20.

The RPO had already told the court that SHO concerned and six police personnel had been booked for kidnapping of Azeem. The SHO and a constable were on remand while four were yet to be arrested. He said all the six had been terminated from service.