AIG Malik Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhsh Restored, SC Told

AIG Malik Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhsh restored, SC told

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2018 ) :The Supreme court was informed on Thursday that Additional Inspector General (AIG) Malik Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhsh had been restored as Police Investigation Branch head.

The statement was made by senior Punjab police officials who appeared before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar in a suo motu notice over alleged extrajudicial killing of a young man in Kasur.

At the outset of hearing, the Chief Justice referred to a news story and questioned the removal of the AIG investigation, who was transferred on March 21. He observed that the officer enjoyed a good reputation and he would be restored.

AIG Malik Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhsh, who was also present in court, submitted that during the investigations, it transpired that some police officials were involved in alleged fake encounter of one Mudassar in Kasur.

He said that two SHOs including Riaz Abbas and Younus Naveed were arrested in this connection whereas SHO Tariq Cheema and DSP Arif Rasheed secured interim bail from the court. However, Riaz Abbas and Younus Naveed also got bail from court after being pardoned by some heirs, he added.

The AIG further submitted that the police had registered an FIR against the deceased and his brother over the alleged encounter. He said that the prosecution witnesses in the case admitted that they were not present on the occasion.

He submitted that police tried to get their statement recorded under section 164 of the PPC but the magistrate concerned rejected the request and a petition was pending before the LHC in this regard.

The court was apprised that then DPO Kasur had been transferred to Quetta, in response to a query. Prosecutor General Punjab Ehtesham Qadir also appeared before the bench and submitted that an application was being filed for cancellation of bail of the two accused SHOs.

The bench was also apprised that the transfer orders of Additional Inspector General Investigation Malik Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhsh had been withdrawn. At this, the bench directed the LHC to decide the pending petition for recording statement of witnesses on next date of hearing besides direction to the court concerned for deciding interim bail applications of SHO Tariq Cheema and DSP Arif Rasheed.

It is pertinent to mention that the alleged fake encounter case was referred in January this year to the Punjab Investigation Branch after it transpired that young man Mudassar was allegedly killed in a staged encounter in Iman Fatima rape case in Kasur.

A 21-year-old powerloom worker, Mudassar was taken into custody by the Kasur police on February 25, 2017, the same day after the five-year-old girl was raped and killed. Deputy Inspector General of Police Sohail Sukhera was heading the investigation team while Mr. Bakhsh was supervising the entire process being head of the branch. APP/syh/zqr