MIANWALI, May 29: An ugly incident of police excess and highhandedness at the Makarwal police station has stirred the tranquillity of this district and compelled various social circles, Bar Association of Isakhel, Nazims of union councils and the labour community of Makarwal Collieries, to pass resolutions marking, their resentment over this incident, and all of them have urged for an independent inquiry and demanded exemplary punishment to the police officials concerned.
Makarwal, the most backward area of Isakhel tehsil of this district, is 80km north-west of here. The population is scattered in the hilly area, which is known for coal mines. This hilly area is a route of smugglers bringing contraband, arms and narcotics on foot from Darra Adam Khel. The people of Makarwal are mostly associated with coal-mining.
According to details collected by this correspondent, a few weeks ago a well-known social worker and labour leader of Makarwal, Soofi Abdul Qayyum Khan Mallakhel (60), went to the Makarwal police station and asked the SHO about the registration of a false case under Section 9-B of the Narcotics Act against an addict, Nur Rehman, and recovery of 550 grams of charas from him. He said actually the police had recovered a huge quantity of narcotics from Azizullah Khan, a notorious drug smuggler, and merely booked him under Section 7-C of the Arms Act by showing recovery of a 12-bore pistol from him in the FIR, whereas he was deserving to be booked under the Narcotics Act. The SHO turned a deaf ear to his plea. Soofi Qayyum advised him to be fair and honest with his profession and not to involve innocent people in false cases merely for his vested interests.
A few days later, Soofi Qayyum along with a poor mine worker, Gul Janan Khan, again went to the SHO and requested him to register a case of abduction of his daughter. He told the SHO that the poor father had been coming to the police station for two days, but of no avail. The SHO retorted that the girl had gone of her own whim and was not abducted. He very rudely said he would only get the FIR registered with the permission of the Mianwali DPO. Qayyum Khan requested him to get the case registered and if it proved false he would withdraw it. Even then the SHO refused to register the case. At that moment, Soofi Qayyum could not believe his eyes when he saw the alleged abductors sitting in an adjacent room sipping tea and being treated as important figures.
Soofi Qayyum expressed his resentment on the attitude of the SHO. The police officer could not control his temper and slapped the white-beard Abdul Qayyum on his face and ordered his subordinates to teach him a lesson. They all rushed into the room and thrashed him mercilessly. The SHO then booked him under sections 186, 189, 353, 427, 500/506 PPC and 7-ATA.
This news spread like a jungle fire in Makarwal and a large number of labourers gathered outside the police station. The police sensing the gravity of the situation blind-folded the poor notable and took him to some unknown place. The relatives of Qayyum, inspite of their efforts, could not find out his whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the police took him to the Anti-Terrorism Court in Sargodha for his physical remand. The judge, however, after listening to the accused not only quashed Section 7-ATA, but also granted him bail.
The DPO has ordered an inquiry in this respect. The Isakhel Tehsil Bar Association has passed a unanimous resolution against the police atrocity and the SHO. They have demanded immediate transfer of the SHO and holding of an impartial inquiry with exemplary punishment to the police staff concerned. The Bar members also vowed to take the matter to the chief minister and the IGP. The labour community and other social circles of the area are anxiously waiting for the results of the inquiry.