ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: Insaaf Welfare Trust (IWT) on Tuesday filed a petition before the Supreme Court, pleading to take suo motu notice of alleged torture and humiliation of women by the Karachi Police by raiding a cinema house.

A two-page petition filed by IWT Chairman Dr Mohammad Aslam Khaki before the Supreme Court also sought a direction against the Inspector-General Police (Sindh) and Senior Superintendent Police, Karachi, by taking punitive action against them to prevent such incidents in future.

The petitioner stated that the video of the raid conducted by the police on the cinema house had clearly shown policemen dragging the young girls and women from the cinema by catching hold of their hairs. The men were also humiliated by putting them in indecent positions, the petitioner said.

He contended that the raid on the cinema house was conducted on the behest of an influential politician having some business-cum-political grudge with the cinema owner. Even then the police had no authority to humiliate the citizen of Pakistan, specially the women, the petitioner argued.

The incident had created a sense of insecurity among the citizens of the country where torture and humiliation of the people at the hands of the police had become order of the day, he said.

He further said that the Karachi cinema incident should be condemned at all levels and prayed before the court to ensure protection of life and liberty of the citizens as guaranteed under the 1973 Constitution.