Minister’s police station raids create controversy

ISLAMABAD: The raids by Minister of State for Interior, Shehryar Afridi, at some police stations in Rawalpindi stirred a new controversy for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

In a viral video on social media it can be seen that the state minister, raided the New Town police station beyond his legal mandate. He met the minor inmates detained at the station. The sources said the four-member minor gang was caught red-handed during a robbery lately.

The state minister reached Pir Duhai police station where he heard the complaints of the inmates. The minister reportedly reprimanded the police officials. The minister also ordered suspension of three police officers, including the SHO, for not immediately reaching the station when summoned. The minister also visited the police stations of Ganj Mandi and Ratta Amral.

He summoned the SHOs at the Interior Ministry the next day. The SHOs, however, raised the issue with the Rawalpindi CPO Ahsan Abbas. The CPO met the state minister and in a two-hour meeting convinced him to withdraw his verbal suspension orders.

The CPO said an inquiry was initiated against the said police officials, adding the minister was apprised of the issues the force is facing in investigating the cases. Meanwhile, the former IG Islamabad, Tahir Alam, said the action by the state minister was beyond his legal ambit as police is a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment.