The LHC ordered police not to arrest Waqar Ali Chohan till Aug 30.&mdash
The LHC ordered police not to arrest Waqar Ali Chohan till Aug 30.—File photo
RAWALPINDI The Lahore High Court granted on Monday protective bail to former Sialkot district police officer Waqar Ali Chohan accused of having done nothing to stop the lynching of two young brothers by a mob.

The court ordered police not to arrest the official till Aug 30.

Justice Hassan Raza Pasha of LHC's Rawalpindi bench asked SSP Chohan to submit a bond of Rs100,000 and cite a witness for the bail granted for a week to enable him to approach the competent court in Sialkot to defend himself in the case pertaining to the killing of the teenagers on Aug 15.

The DPO, through his lawyer Sardar Mohammad Ishaq Khan, sought the protection, expressing fears he would be arrested if he tried to approach the court in Sialkot.

The lawyer said Mr Chohan's name had not been mentioned in the FIR about the killing of Mughees and Muneeb and he deserved bail.

The police official expressed apprehensions in his bail plea that the case had been hyped up because of political motives and he could be victimised and arrested.

He said Mr Chohan had learnt through the media that the Sialkot district coordination officer had issued orders for his detention at midnight. He said the orders had not been served on the official and he could not be detained till he was served the orders.

Talking to Dawn outside the courtroom, Mr Chohan denied he was present at the time of the lynching and alleged that the TV footage of the incident was fabricated.

When he reached the place, he said, the two bodies were hanging and he dissuaded the mob from setting them on fire.

He said he had been pictured while dissuading the mob from burning the bodies and the portion had been inserted into the video at a point where the boys were being thrashed.

When asked why did the local station house officer who was present there not try to save the brothers, Mr Chohan said it was a fault on his part, but apparently he was overawed by the frenzy of the mob.

He said reports submitted by different intelligence agencies on the incident said that the DPO had arrived late and many eyewitnesses were ready to depose in his favour.

Opinion

Editorial

PTI in disarray
Updated 30 Nov, 2024

PTI in disarray

PTI’s protest plans came abruptly undone because key decisions were swayed by personal ambitions rather than political wisdom and restraint.
Tired tactics
30 Nov, 2024

Tired tactics

Matiullah's arrest appears to be a case of the state’s overzealous and misplaced application of the law.
Smog struggle
30 Nov, 2024

Smog struggle

AS smog continues to shroud parts of Pakistan, an Ipsos survey highlights the scope of this environmental hazard....
Solidarity with Palestine
Updated 29 Nov, 2024

Solidarity with Palestine

The wretched of the earth see in the Palestinian struggle against Israel a mirror of themselves.
Little relief for public
29 Nov, 2024

Little relief for public

INFLATION, the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services over a given period of time, has receded...
Right to education
29 Nov, 2024

Right to education

IT is troubling to learn that over 16,500 students of the University of Karachi (KU) have defaulted on fee payments...