LAHORE: The Punjab government has reportedly dissolved the one-man tribunal, constituted by the then chief minister Parvez Elahi in September 2022 to investigate allegations of brutal police action against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers during the May 25 Azadi March, and rejected most of its recommendations.

Headed by Shabbar Raza Rizvi, retired judge of the Lahore High Court, the tribunal was constituted when PTI’s top leadership pressed the government hard to probe the alleged highhandedness of the police on May 25.

An official source said the caretaker government endorsed the proposed action against DSP Nasir Mushtaq and SHO Furqan Mahmood whom the tribunal had held responsible for misuse of authority. The tribunal, however, cleared rest of the officials named in the case.

The caretaker government declared that under Article 6, there was no need to initiate proceedings against the other police officers and dissolved the tribunal.

Caretaker Punjab cabinet rejects nearly all recommendations of former judge

The official said several PTI leaders and activists had been baton-charged and arrested during the protest rally for which the party leadership had accu­sed the then Punjab police chief Rao Sardar Ali Khan, the then Lahore CCPO Bilal Siddique Kam­yana, several DSPs and SHOs of misuse of authority.

He alleged that the then home minister Hashim Dogar had also been given free hand to spearhead punitive action against the police officials who were involved in torturing the PTI workers. Follow­ing the investigations, he said, nearly three dozen SHOs and some DSPs had been shortlisted from amongst others whom the tribunal had held responsible for misuse of authority against the PTI activists.

Earlier, he said, the Punjab police had constituted a committee, headed by the then DIG security Mehboob Rashid, to investigate the matter and fix responsibility. The inq­uiry process was, however, delayed due to some alle­ged pressure from within the police department, he said, explaining that several senior police officers had exerted pressure to avoid departmental action against the police officials.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2023