LAHORE: An official of Faisalabad police was dismissed from service on Monday for pointing a pistol at women protesters during the Azadi March staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on May 25.

The incident got highlighted after PTI top leadership shared a picture on social media showing the then Sargodha Road station house officer (SHO), sub inspector Abid Jutt, pointing a gun at the party’s women workers who were part of an Islamabad-bound rally held in Faisalabad.

An official said the Faisalabad police high-ups had launched a probe into the incident on the PTI’s demand to take a strict departmental action against the policeman.

He said the Faisalabad SSP Operations, who was inquiry officer (IO), summoned the suspect, giving him an opportunity to defend his position.

During the course of inquiry, he said, Jutt failed to justify his action that was declared illegal and unwarranted by the IO under the police rules.

The IO recommended dismissal of the former SHO from service.

In the light of the recommendation, the Faisalabad police high-ups dismissed Jutt from service, the official said.

PTI’s former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry defended the departmental action against Jutt.

In his tweet on Monday, Fawad said “black sheep” in Punjab police deserved no respect and SI’s illegal act of pointing pistol at women and children could not be defended.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2022