GUJRAT: The deputy commissioner has recommended to the Punjab head of Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) for removal of the commission’s Gujrat chapter chairman for his alleged involvement in heinous crimes, including a recent incident of kidnapping and murder.

The recommendation by the DC is based on an official letter written to him by District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Salamat, who accused Gujrat OPC chairman Adeel Arshad Rehmania of being involved in heinous crimes.

The letter says Arshad, along with his guards, allegedly kidnapped one Zaheerudin Babar, tortured him at the outhouse on May 21 and forced him to remove some posts from his facebook account. The OCP head later took Babar to Sara I Alamgir where the victim was murdered, the DPO said.

The dead body was thrown along the banks of Upper Jhelum Canal, near Khambi village in the Sara-i-Alamgir Saddar police precincts. After identification of the body, a case was lodged against “unidentified” suspects.

The DPO said police had traced one of the suspects, Zaman alias Jani, of Shadiwal and arrested him. The suspect, during investigation, recorded his confession and alleged Arshat and his guard Waqas Butt were involved in the crime and both were at large.

The DPO said earlier the guards of Arshad were also arrested for displaying weapons, using green number plates on their vehicles and donning police uniform. The reference said because of involvement of OPC district chairman in heinous crimes, the overseas Pakistanis had lost their confidence in the institution, and its reputation might further be tarnished if the Arshad was not removed from the office.

Official sources said the police had also attached the record of at least eight cases lodged against Arshad on charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery, attempt to murder etc, since 2005, with the letter.

Meanwhile, the DC on the basis of DPO’s letter, recommended to the OPC Punjab chairman and the chief minister’s office to de-notify Mr Arshad as the commission’s Gujrat chairman in the better interest of overseas Pakistanis.

He also recommended the name of Numan Akbar Warraich, a former vice chairman of Mungowal Union Council, for the slot.

Warraich has been an associate of PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2021