MULTAN: The Lahore High Court Multan Bench on Wednesday barred police from registering a first information report (FIR) against seven people, including a PTI MPA, in connection with the murder of a minor girl, granting a stay against orders of a lower court.

Muhammad Sabir, a resident of Qadirpur Raan, had lodged a complaint with the court of Additional Sessions Judge Zulfiqar Ahmed Naeem under Section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), stating that the police were not registering an FIR against PTI MPA Wasif Mazhar Raan, Atif Mazhar, Jaffar, Muhammad Khan, Jani Baloch, Haji Manzoor Mochi and the lawmaker’s guard, who allegedly killed his seven-year-old daughter, Haseena Bibi, who worked as a maid at the residence of the MPA.

He alleged the suspects after killing his daughter on May 31 threw her dead body into a canal.

He said that on being informed that Haseena was missing he went to the MPA’s house to inquire about his daughter, but he (MPA) started hurling threats at him.

He said when he approached the local police for lodging an FIR, the influential suspects kidnapped him and subjected him to torture. He alleged that he was also coerced into putting his thumb impression on some documents at gunpoint that favoured the suspects.

He alleged that later the suspects forced him to record statement in their favour in the court. He alleged that the police were favouring the influential suspects as one of them was a ruling party MPA.

The judge on Tuesday directed the police to lodge an FIR against the suspects and take action as per the law.

Meanwhile, the suspects moved the LHC bench through a petition, stating that they were being implicated in a false case because of political reasons, seeking relief.

Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram, while issuing a stay order, barred the police from registering an FIR, and fixed Oct 17 as the next date of the hearing of the case.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2019