PESHAWAR, Feb 14: The Peshawar High Court has directed the provincial police officer to trace within one month the culprits involved in the recent targeted sectarian killings by entrusting investigation to senior experts, headed by a senior superintendent of police.A two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth issued wide-ranging directives here on Thursday to PPO Akber Khan Hoti, Peshawar capital city police officer (CCPO) Imtiaz Altaf and other officials that included creation of a quick response elite force with the sole task of tracing suspects involved in such activities.

The bench ordered that the said force should be provided universal telephone numbers on which general public could convey any suspicious activity to it. This force should be directed not to disclose the name of the informant to anyone except the senior officials including PPO and CCPO, it was observed.

The bench also directed that registration of all motorbikes brought from other provinces should be cancelled within 15 days and the owners should be directed to re-register their bikes.

It was added that owners of all motorbikes and vehicles including cars and jeeps registered outside the province should be directed by the excise department to re-register their vehicles in the province.

It was ordered that in that public notice should be published in the press by the director general of excise and taxation department for information of owners of such vehicles and bikes. After expiry of a fixed date, a massive campaign should be launched and all such vehicles and bikes should be impounded, the bench directed.

The bench ordered that an impounded vehicle should not be released by any court unless it was re-registered in the province and fresh registration book was produced to the court. The court fixed March 14 for next hearing.

When the bench took up for hearing the case notice of which was taken suo moto by PHC chief justice after the recent killing of prominent lawyer Malik Jarar, the courtroom was full to the capacity with scores of police officials, lawyers and members belonging to Shia sect. Most of those present in courtroom turned emotional when the members from the said sect started narrating their ordeal.

One of them stated that it was difficult for them to take their children to schools, go out to buy daily use items and attend their offices. He said that their female family members remained in a state of agony whenever they went out of their houses.

The people said that law enforcement agencies remained unmoved over the incidents of targeted attacks on members of their sect during the last few weeks and so far not a single culprit was traced.

They added that Shia and Sunni people were peacefully living with each other but some elements were trying to create bad blood between them.

The bench directed the PPO and CCPO to sensitise general public including members from Shia sect to keep eye on suspects visiting their areas and inform the quick response force on the universal numbers if any suspicious activity was observed.

The PPO and CCPO stated that they had held several suspects but until they had ample proofs about their involvement they could not say anything with certainty.

They regretted that people were not cooperating with police in such incidents.