LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Wednesday expressed his displeasure at the Punjab government’s decision to reward police officials for arresting the prime suspect in the Motorway gang-rape case.
The Chief Justice, who was hearing a case pertaining to the alleged illegal occupation of a government land by the police, questioned as to why the police should be rewarded for arresting suspect Abid Malhi when it was their duty.
"Is it not the job of the police to catch a criminal? If they don't do that, what will they do? This is a new technique by the Punjab government,” the CJ wondered. “Under what law, the reward has been announced by the government?”
On the court’s order, Punjab IGP Inam Ghani was present in the courtroom. Petitioners in the land grab case had said that an elite police training center was built on a 72-kanal government land owned by the Evacuee Trust Property Board. They had complained to the court that the police were harassing them by sending officers of the Special Branch to the board office.
The Chief Justice had directed them to submit a written request to the IGP for the registration of the FIR against the officers. He had asked the petitioners to approach this court if a case was not registered on their complaint.
Justice Khan remarked that police officers were known for their involvement in land grabbing but now they had illegally occupied a government land. Justice Khan also reprimanded the IGP, saying "It is strange that police are being rewarded for arresting a culprit." The police are responsible for lawlessness in the country and on the rampage to plunder national resources with impunity. The country has become a police state, he added.
"If this continues, policemen will first wait for a reward announcement and then nab suspects," the judge remarked.
The federal law officer told the court that the training center had been built on the land of the Evacuee Trust Property Board to which Justice Khan said it was a trust property and the federal government was not authorized to dish out it to anyone. The proceedings were adjourned until Nov 3.
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