KARACHI: Police on Friday registered cases against some industrialists over charges of hindering the work of Supreme Court-appointed Water Commission officials as they were not allowed to visit factories in SITE industrial area.

According to Karachi-West SSP Omar Shahid Hamid, some factory officials were also arrested following registration of FIRs against their factories.

The SSP said that police registered cases against the industrial concerns in SITE under sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code as industrialists had not cooperated with judicial magistrates and officials of SEPA who went there for conducting inspections on instructions of the Water Commission appointed by a SC bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim.

Companies against whom cases were registered included Pakistan Beverages, bottlers of Pepsi owned by industrialist Siraj Qasim Teli, the SSP said.

Another industry was Nawab Steel Factory whose official Dil Rokhan was arrested while its director Aurangzeb fled.

Another case was registered against owners of MBI Pvt Ltd and one of its officials, Qadar Gul, was arrested while its security incharge, Noor Rehman, escaped.

The case was also registered against the administration of Thermopolas Factory whose official, Irfan Hashmi, was arrested while its manager, Izzatullah, fled.

The SSP said that more cases were likely to be registered against industrialists in the next couple of days.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2018