Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A citizen Bashir Bangish who worked as tax agent outside the Excise Office is the sole bread winner for six member family went to work at Excise Office in the federal capital on February 15th this year but did not returned home back.

Bashir, father of four worked as a ‘agent’ by laying a table outside the Excise Office as he facilitated people in getting their cars registration, transfer and renewal of tokens.

The capital city police apprehended him during an operation against the agents sitting outside Excise Office at sector H9 of the federal capital. Police took into custody more than 80 agents including Bashir Bangish.

Soon after his arrest, he called his driver Kamran and informed him that he has been arrested and will be back soon. That was the last telephone call of his life. On next day, his dead body was found near Capital Development Authority (CDA) graveyard. The circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery. Bashir’s relative Hameed received a call from police station that he may reach PIMS where his relative is admitted.

When he reached the hospital, he was told to identify an unclaimed corpse, which was Bashir’s dead body. After postmortem, he was allowed to receive the body.

After burying Bashir at native town Kohat, his driver Kamran told his relatives that Bashir was apprehended during a raid conducted by the police at Excise and Taxation Office, which was headed by SP CIA captain Ilyas, I9 SHO Akram Nagra and was facilitated by Excise and Taxation Director Maryam Mumtaz, director’s PA Yameen and acting ETO Malik Amrooz.

The relatives allegedly said that the high–ups of Islamabad Police and Excise Department were involved in torturing him. Bashir Bangash died of the inhumane treatment.

The relatives of deceased tried to lodge an FIR against the officials mentioned above. The police denied registering the FIR. Then they filed an application under section 22-A in the court of sessions judge, Islamabad West. The court issued orders on March 22 that police should register an FIR against the I9 SHO Akram Nagra. However, no action was taken by the police so far.

The body was discovered and reported by an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Muhammad Ashraf around at 9pm. However, two entries pertaining to dead body in the daily register contradict each other, as the one made on February 15th around 9pm states that the dead body was found in sector H11/2 near double road whereas the other entry made on February 16th around 9:30pm states that the dead body was found in sector H11/3 in a garbage heap. The contradiction adds to the sketchy circumstances that engulf Bashir Bangash’s death.

Bangash left behind four children, three boys and a girl, Subhan Bangash, the eldest one is 16 years old, Shayan and Shahrukh are 14 and 12 years old respectively. Tanzeela, who the only daughter is 10 years old. His widow Shagufta Bibi has warned the authorities if she failed to get justice then she would set herself and her children on fire in front of Parliament House.

The poor vendors in our society who earn their living by facilitating people in getting their paperwork done outside banks, passport office, visa centres and excise and taxation offices have been on the receiving end of police brutality. Many of them work day in and day out to earn living. The viciousness, which police displayed in this particular case is even beyond savagery.

Daily Times tried to contact I9 SHO Akram Nagra, he said that he had been posted out from the police station so he cannot make any comment in the case. The new SHO Syed Sajjad Haider said that the application is received but he took his charge three days before adding that action would be taken on the application according to the law.