LAHORE, July 21: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Friday took strong exception to delay in transferring Sialkot DPO Dr Tariq Khokhar and instructed a Punjab law officer to inform the IGP that retaining the DPO in his office despite a clear direction by the apex court amounted to defiance.

Comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Syed Tasaddaq Husain Jilani and Justice Karamat Nazir Bhindari, the apex court bench observed that delay in complying with the court orders was also making an impact on the recovery of the trader who went missing last month.

The SP (investigation) submitted before court that a three-member police team had been appointed to recover the trader. The court is seized of the matter in the process of a suo moto notice in this human rights case after Maimoona Bashir, the wife of the trader, wrote a letter to the chief justice of Pakistan who turned it into a petition.

The court had given time to the DPO on four occasions since last month for the recovery of the trader. But on all occasions he reported his failure. The court took serious view of his failure and directed the IGP earlier this week that he should be transferred and a new officer appointed in his place to find out the missing trader.

The court also took exception to the transfer of SP Amjad Karim during the investigation of the abduction of Nazia, a resident of a village in Sattukatla police jurisdiction. Her mother Shazia had written a letter to the chief justice who turned it into a petition and issued notice to the police for investigation and report. SP Amjad Karim was appointed to investigate the case.

The court asked the police officer appearing in the case the reason for the transfer of SP Amjad Karim and the appointment of SP Inaam Mahmood in his place.

The court also directed to inform the IGP that he owed an explanation to court for the transfer. The court sought a report from the Punjab police chief and deferred till July 24 further proceedings in the case.