ISLAMABAD: “I have never been contacted by the police, administration, government or the ruling party,” said noted columnist and former educationist Irfan Siddiqui on completion of one year of his arrest and release.
“It is not in my knowledge if any inquiry was conducted,” he told The News.
“After waiting for a full year, I plan to file a plea with a relevant forum suing those who damaged my standing, repute and self-respect by arresting me.”
Siddiqui said all the characters that were responsible for the torture perpetrated on him were in the same places even after one year.
He said it was not known whether any inquiry was conducted and who were its members.
It is also unknown who ordered his arrest at midnight. After Matiullah Jan’s incident, these questions have assumed an added significance, Siddiqui said, adding that it had become our approach that it is no problem for the authorities to attack anybody’s self-respect and mete out illegal treatment to them.
On July 26-27 night, he was picked up from his G/10 residence when he was in the sleeping dress and was wearing rough sleepers. He was not allowed to fetch his medicines.
At midnight, the street in which his house is located was cordoned off by 12 vehicles. Twenty uniformed and plainclothesmen took him away without telling him his crime. Next day, he was presented handcuffed before an assistant commissioner.
The crime of the 76-year old was that he had not communicated to the police station concerned details contained in the rental agreement of his house. However, he had shown to the police and assistant commissioner that the house was not in his name, as his son owns it and the rental agreement was between him and the tenant. The residence had been rented out less than a week ago.
The assistant commissioner rejected his arguments and sent him to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
In prison, he was kept with dangerous criminals and was locked in a cell.
The media had aggressively reacted to Siddiqui’s arrest and it became the top trend on the Twitter. It was emphasized that an old teacher had been caught on fake charges and he could have been bailed out even by the police. International agencies also sharply reacted to the arrest.
Although the courts were closed on the following day, Sunday, the same assistant commissioner granted him bail. He was released from jail after a few hours.
Commenting on the detention, the interior minister had stated that they had no knowledge about the details of the incident, and it appeared that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did all this to defame the government.
The then Chief Justice, Asif Saeed Khosa, said this episode has embarrassed the judiciary. “I would have personally taken his bail had it not been granted [by the assistant commissioner]”.
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had said that Siddiqui’s arrest was an “insult to the knowledge”.
He called the inspector general of police and relevant officials to get a report on the subject.
The then special assistant on information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan had condemned the incident and ordered an investigation.
“We will expose those maligning the government.”
Official spokesman Dr Shahbaz Gill had dubbed the episode regrettable and said those responsible would not be forgiven.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had discharged the case against Siddiqui giving him the right to take an appropriate action.
