ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its decision on a petition related to registration of bogus First Information Reports (FIRs) against a family by a director of Capital Development Authority (CDA).

IHC Justice Babar Sattar was hearing the petition filed by CDA’s Director Iftikhar Ali Haideri against the order of a judicial magistrate absolving the Sialkot-based family without handing over their custody to police on physical remand.

During the hearing last week, the court took notice of a report filed by the superintendent of police (SP) Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Rukhsar Mehdi which accused Mr Haideri of using his influence to register bogus FIRs against the family to settle a personal score.

As per the report, the FIRs were registered in three police stations in Islamabad after a brawl between Haideri’s brother and the family in Sialkot. A woman had approached the police against the registration of the FIRs against her husband, son, grandson and a daughter in the Sumbal, Banigala and Industrial Area police stations of Islamabad and Sialkot. SP Mehdi initiated the probe and in his report termed the registration of criminal cases against the family a “mockery of the justice system.”

Petition was filed by CDA officer after judicial magistrate absolved Sialkot-based family of charges

The report added, “There is one government officer Iftikhar Ali Haideri [who] has played havoc with the entire justice system.”

As per the report, Mr Haideri’s brother Qamar Abbas had a brawl with the applicant’s family in Sialkot and since then the officer “was trying to settle his score by twisting the long arm of law.”

The report stated, “This entire plot hatched by this government officer is shameless but the height of the shame is when an innocent young lady got arrested by the Gujrat police and later on by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police in false and criminal cases on the day she was to wed.”

The report recommended that the “officer Mr Iftikhar Ali Haideri must answer for whatever dirty games he played”.

The investigation found that “the FIRs of Sumbal and Banigala police stations are false whereas the implication of the victims in Industrial Area police station is a lie.” The report recommended that “the said government officer must face the law for violating it so ruthlessly.”

Mr Mehdi appeared before the court and stated that he was assigned the inquiry into the matter by the higher authorities.

He said that during the course of inquiry, he recorded statements of the relevant persons and perused the available record.

The court asked as to why he did not initiate further proceeding against the CDA’s officer? Mr Mehdi replied that it was beyond his mandate as he was assigned to probe the matter only.

Justice Sattar sought the relevant record and reserved his decision.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2024