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FAISALABAD, Sept 30: The Chief Minister Inspection Team chairman on Friday started formal inquiry into the Faisalabad Excise and Taxation Department’s motor registration scandal and summoned the department employees, recently-transferred Faisalabad DIG police Sajjad Ahmad and other police officials.
The probe has been ordered by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on the recommendations of the one-man tribunal of District and Sessions Judge Abdul Waheed Khan.
The tribunal had recommended that a high-level inquiry should be conducted into the motor registration scandal and corruption allegations suspended SP Abdullah Khalid and DIG Sajjad Ahmad levelled against each other.
The CMIT chairman questioned the excise officials about the misdeeds of the officials, who were booked in different cases of corruption, abuse of power and patronizing the mafia of vehicle lifters.
It may be recalled that the investigation police teams, headed by inspectors Jamshed Iqbal Chishti, Asadur Rehman, Khuda Yar, Haq Nawaz and sub-inspector Fayyaz Ihsan, under the direct command of SP Abdullah, raided the excise offices in June 2004 and arrested Excise and Taxation Officer Farman Masood, excise inspector Javed Iqbal, and clerks — Umer Saleem, Abdul Waheed, Muhammad Arif, Rana Shahid, Asim Yousaf, Nasrullah, Muhammad Tariq, Altaf Husain, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Asif Bhatti, Saeed Anwar and Muhammad Yousaf Gujjar.
The police registered a case against them under section 109, 400, 401, 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the PPC on the application of Muhammad Nadeem.
PARALLEL INQUIRY: Meanwhile, accused Abdullah Khalid submitted his written statement to SP (Investigation) Tauqeer Hayat, who is conduting a parallel inquiry into the allegations levelled against him and three other policemen.
He stated that the allegations levelled against him in the case No 721 registered under section 225-A and 343 of the PPC and 155-C and D of the Police Order 2002 with the Sargodha Road police were baseless.
“Asim Yousaf, son of Muhammad Yousaf (resident of Samanabad) was neither ever presented before me nor did I hand him over to inspector Jamshed Iqbal Chishti, the then Sargodha Road police station SHO. “I did not issue any instructions for avoiding the entry of Asim’s arrest and provide him any opportunity to go his house. Nor did I pass any illegal order,” the former SP claimed.
He further claimed that Jamshed Iqbal Chishti, constables — Iqbal Fareed and Noor Muhammad — who were in police custody, had recorded statements against him to save their skin. He said their statements were not truthful.
Earlier, Jamshed Chishti in reply of writ petition No 3422/05 in the Lahore High Court had recorded his statement but did not mention that SP Abdullah asked him to give concession to Asim Yousaf.
“I am available at my official residence in Faisalabad and the investigation officer can call me any time,” Abdullah Khalid said.
