Daily Times

The District administration Rawalpindi and Police have conducted a planted Khuli Katchehri (open court) on Friday at Police Line Rawalpindi to mislead the chief minister Punjab Usman Buzdar.

In compliance with the orders of Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, Khuli Katchehri was conducted on a very short notice of few hours without any publicity to halt the public participation. The Deputy Commissioner Dr. Umer Jehangir and City Police Officer Abbas Ahsan remained absent.

In the absence of CPO, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) -Operations Qamar Qadir along with Assistant Deputy Commissioner (General) Maleeha Jamal conducted the Khuli Katcheri. Only ten to twelve complainants gathered in the Police line Rawalpindi, interestingly the police officials have also attended the Khuli Kachehri to fill the vacant chairs for the photo shoot.

Majority of complainants were related to the police department regarding the illegal land possession, misuse of power and allegedly taking bribe by the police officials. The SSP Operations has marked the complaints to concerned senior police officers for redressal of their grievances.

Farzana Bibi, a resident of Gujar Khan, complained that officials of Gujar Khan police station have picked up her husband from the Nursery where he works’ and demanded heavy bribe money. On the refusal of paying bribe, the police have registered a fake FIR of having 1.5 KG drug against him and now he was in Adiala Jail.

Local bodies representatives and civil society criticized the uninformed Khuli Katchehri. Chairman UC 38 Zeeshan Ahmed Khan said the police and district administration should properly advertise at-least three days before conducting such events so that maximum people can participate to appeal complaints.

The SSP Qamar Qadir admitted that these Khuli Katchehris should be held in the public places like Municipal Corporation where the access of common people is easy as compared to Police line, and proper advertisement should also be made few days before conducting this type of event.

He said, due to the presence of the Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar and Inspector General of Police Amjad Javed Saleemi in Rawalpindi, both the CPO and Deputy Commissioner could not attend the Khuli Katchehri.

Published in Daily Times, January 27^th 2019.