Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The case against those who attacked a judicial lockup and snatched an accused from the police on the premises of a lower court in the federal capital has not been registered yet, but a case against former Senate chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari was registered within no time on the complaint of a policeman.

Lawyers and political leaders have described the registration of the case against Bokhari, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), as a political move and a tactic of the government to tighten the noose around the neck of the opposition leader amid the growing pressure from the opposition for an investigation into the Panama leaks.

On Tuesday, an official of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell arrested a suspected car thief on the premises of an Islamabad lower court when the former was there to attend the hearing of a case. The official took the accused to the judicial lockup situated on the court premises. Shortly after the arrest of the accused, 25 to 30 lawyers attacked the judicial lockup, thrashed the staff on duty at the lockup and took the accused away.

After the incident, Inspector Maqsood Kasuri, the man in charge of the judicial lockup, submitted an application to the Margalla Police Station against Waqar Hanif Abbasi and other lawyers. On the other hand, the lawyers submitted an application against the official for allegedly harassing a citizen and attacking the lawyers. Police seem to be reluctant to register a case against the lawyers even two days after the incident.

On Wednesday, Bokhari reached a lower court situated in F-8 Markaz with his private guards. Policeman Muhammad Riaz, who was on duty at the main gate of the court, tried to search Bokhari, who got furious and allegedly slapped the policeman.

In reaction, the policeman submitted an application to the Margalla Police Station, stating that Bokhari refused to be searched, slapped him and forced his entry into the court. He quoted Bokhari as saying: “How dare you search me. You don’t know who am I? I will see your IG and SSP.”

The policeman said he told Bokhari that the sessions judge had directed him to search every visitor to the court, but Bokhari told him that he did not know any sessions judge. The policeman submitted in his application that Bokhari then slapped him, threatened him with consequences and entered the court. He said that a guard in plainclothes accompanied Bokhari.

The police after registration of the case started investigation into the case against Bokhari, who has been accused of violence against a uniformed person, interfering in the government affairs and threatening the official with consequences. However, no arrest was made till Wednesday night.

Talking to Daily Times, political leaders said that registration of the case against Bokhari could be a plan to trap the opposition amid the furor over the Panama leaks. Lawyers said the case against Bokhari was politically motivated.

Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri told Daily Times that Bokhari was the senior most member of the bar and registration of a case against him was only possible on government’s instructions. He said that lawyers condemned the registration of a case against Bokhari.