GUJRAT, Nov 2: The authenticity of illicit arms possession cases registered in 16 police stations of the district during the arms recovery drive has become questionable following a departmental probe’s finding that Gujrat B-division police implicated innocent people in fabricated cases.
Information gleaned by this correspondent revealed that Punjab IGP Malik Asif Hayat had ordered a province-wide arms recovery drive, which commenced on Aug 10, 2002, and concluded on Sept 15, 2002.
Like other districts of the province, the Gujrat police tried their best to show efficiency and registered 3,479 such cases. Informed sources said the AIG (operations) had fixed marks for every weapon seized during the drive. A police station was to be allotted 10 marks for seizing a hand-grenade, five marks for a Klashnikov and two marks for a pistol. It was decided by the authorities concerned at the start of the campaign that after completion of the drive, an award ceremony would be held for those showing good results, they said.
IGP Malik Asif Hayat had definitely given orders for launching the arms recovery drive with the hope to eradicate the menace of illegal arms, but he was not aware of the highhanded ways of his subordinates, the sources said.
The AIG (operations) office has been seeking a comprehensive report about such cases from the Gujrat police whose B-division’s wrongdoings put the police department in an awkward position.
Four B-division policemen were arrested by Akora Khattak police with 166 pistols, eight Klashnikovs, three 12-bore rifles, 1,800 cartridges and one kilogram of charas in their Hiace (LXK-9640). The accused were identified as SI Mohammad Khan, ASI Afzal and constables Ihsanullah and Shahbaz. Later, on Sept 23, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool made Gujrat SSP Nisar Siroya an OSD and suspended the services of DSP (city) Qazi Khalid Lateef, B-division SHO Chaudhry Iqbal and the four arrested policemen.
A departmental inquiry conducted by SP (investigation) Malik Liaquat held SSP, DSP and B-division SHO responsible for the incident. The inquiry officer observed in his report that B-division police had indeed framed innocent people in fabricated cases and four of them were carrying arms from Dara Adamkhel to Gujrat to show arms recovery.
This situation has created doubts about all such cases — even those registered in other police stations. Inside sources said the Gujrat Sadar police had registered some 360 such cases during 35 days and recovered 13 Klashnikovs, 21 Pump Actions, 18 Triple Twos, nine 44-bore rifles, 186 30-bore pistols, 23 revolvers, 22 rifles (8mm), 22 guns, 38 rifles (7mm), one 223-bore rifle. It also recovered 795 hand-grenades from a truck (RIL-9336). However, the driver, identified as Nawaz of Jamshoro (Sindh), managed to escape.
The sources alleged that Sadar police had registered cases beyond their capacity. More than 40 per cent of these cases were bogus, they claimed. However, SHO Malik Mazhar Masood denied these charges and said he was ready to face any inquiry.
Statistics show that Kharian Sadar police have registered 463 cases during the arms recovery drive, Kunjah police have registered 334 cases — 50 in a single day (Sept 15), A-division police 164 cases, Lalamusa city police 186 cases, Lalamusa Sadar police 126 cases, Gujrat Civil Lines police 172 cases, Karrianwala police 285 cases, Tanda police 126 cases, Kakrali police 145 cases, Jalalpur Jattan Sadar police 153 cases, Jalalpur Jattan city police 91 cases, Serai Alamgir police 423 cases and Dinga police 200 cases. According to inside sources, more than 50 per cent cases were fabricated. There were not enough arms to show recovery in all these cases. They accused the SHOs of contacting arms and junk dealers to purchase weapons and justify the arrests.
DSP Sadar Alhaj Riaz Cheema told Dawn that police stations in Sadar circle had registered all cases on merit. Responding to a query, he claimed that it was possible for Kunjah police to register 50 cases in a day because all of its staff was efficient.
DSP (headquarters) Sadiq Sandhu who was also present on the occasion said he also did not have any doubt about performance of police in his circle and denied that some of the cases might have been fabricated.
A spokesman for the Kharian circle also denied charges that some of the cases might have been fabricated.
Residents of the district have urged upon President Gen Pervez Musharraf to order a high-level inquiry into the matter. The investigators should hail from Islamabad to ensure impartiality, they added.
Meanwhile, a Nowshera court has rejected the bail applications of the four policemen arrested by the Akora Khattak police.