FAISALABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentarian MPA Rana Shoaib Idrees, wanted by police for attacking a police station and thrashing policemen, is allegedly involved in collection of extortion from textile mills situated in Khurrianwala area, says an intelligence report.
He is also involved in receiving extortion from wagon stands in Khurrainwala while his outhouse is used to protect criminals. The report says the MPA and his people block roads whenever they want to pressurise the government machinery.
The MPA, however, denies the allegations and says the report has been prepared to frame him.
The report prepared by a secret agency was forwarded to the Punjab government in the backdrop of the case registered against Idrees and his more than 50 ‘henchmen’ for attacking the Khurrianwala police station.
Intelligence report says MPA targetted textile mills and wagon stands
Report (copy available with Dawn) mentioned the Khurrianwala industrial area had half a dozen large-sized textile units and the MPA was receiving up to Rs200,000 per month from each mill through different sources.
Mills’ labour contractors also paid up to Rs40,000 per month to MPA’s men.
The report said the MPA and his men were behind grouping among the labour. Through this channel they extorted money from owners.
The report claimed that Moosa, Waris, Abu Bakar, Anas, Bilal, Abdul Razzaq and Abdul Hayye collected extortion on MPA’s behalf.
Abdul Wahid, a cousin of the MPA, was killed on Oct 24, 2011, over a dispute of extortion collection from a wagon stand. The case (1074/11) was registered against Yaseen, Iftikhar and others.
After his election as an MPA, the report said, Rana Shoaib Idrees frequently resorted to firing at the house of accused Yaseen and Iftikhar and forced their families to leave the area. Now their houses were under MPA’s occupation.
The report said Iqbal wanted in a terrorism and murder case carrying a head money of Rs100,000 and his brothers Iftikhar, Riasat and Liaqat worked for the MPA.
On July 17, 2013, MPA’s men Zaheer, Mudassar and others shot at Shahzad over a dispute of extortion at a Khurrianwala wagon stand.
Rana Zikaria, an uncle of the MPA, and Zulfiqar alias Bhutto pressurised Shahazad for reconciliation. No case of the incident was registered and police could register a report two days after the incident.
The report carried names of several people involved in different cases of murder and extortion and claimed they had the blessings of Rana Idrees.
The report said the MPA launched a housing scheme (Khwaja Gardens) along with ex-MPA Khwaja Mohammad Islam, disqualified for having a fake degree. Idrees somehow managed to oust Islam and was now handling its affairs alone.
MEDICAL REPORT: The medical report has confirmed that sub-inspector Riasat Ali was tortured.
Police said the SI was injured when the MPA and his men attacked the police station to get some detainees freed.
Talking to newsmen, the SI said the MPA and his relatives had subjected him to severe torture inside the police station in the presence of the station house officer and other policemen.
MPA Idrees denied the allegations and said the mob had subjected the SI to torture. The SI said he knew the MPA by face very well.
Rana Idrees said police had implicated him at the behest of his political rival. He said he would join the investigation having no hope of justice.
To a query that the PML-N leadership had sought his resignation, he said party had not asked him to do so.
CPO Dr Haider Ashraf told Dawn justice would be ensured by all means. He said it had been proved in the preliminary inquiry that the MPA had gone to the police station leading a mob. He and his men thrashed the policemen there and got freed the arrested men.
He said a two-member inquiry team had been constituted to probe the issue and the MPA should submit his complaints there. “Avoiding the investigation is not a solution to the issue,” he added.
Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2014
