PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the ‘incomplete’ report submitted by the provincial inspector general of police of the progress on the Dera Ismail Khan stripping case and ordered the production of the complete report by Feb 1.

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Mohammad Ghazanfar Khan also directed the deputy inspector general of the Peshawar Police Headquarters to seek the assistance of intelligence agencies to trace the prime suspect in the case, Sajawal, if the need arises.

The bench later adjourned the hearing until Feb 1.

On Nov 22, a high court bench headed by the chief justice had disposed of a petition filed by the alleged victim of stripping, with the direction to the IGP to submit progress report of the investigation to the PHC’s Human Rights Cell director for the perusal of the chief justice.

Asks police to get agencies’ help to trace prime suspect

In the petition, the girl had made several prayers to the court seeking protection, recovery of film allegedly made by a local resident, and the arrest of prime suspect Sajawal.

In the progress report, the IGP has claimed that the police have initiated proceedings for the attachment of immovable property of the absconding suspect.

He added that eight of the nine suspects named by the girl had been arrested by the police.

The IGP said hectic efforts were under way for the arrest of the absconding accused.

Qazi Mohammad Anwar, lawyer for the girl’s family, said the police had so far failed to apprehend the main culprit.

He said while the police had been denying the existence of any footage of the incident, they had information that the footage was in possession of SHO Basharat, who had been keeping it secret and thus, adversely affecting the case.

Additional advocate general Waqar Ahmad Khan said the police had been raiding different areas to arrest the prime suspect.

In the progress report, it is stated that the police had had taken seven mobile phones of Rehmatullah suspect and send the same to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Peshawar for tracing the video clips but the result was received in negative.

The bench observed that the progress report was incomplete for lacking details of the investigation done by the police.

The bench ordered the production of a complete progress report by Feb 1.

It also directed the investigation team to get help from intelligence agencies for tracing the main suspect if the need arises.

After the hearing, girl’s uncle Ghulam Shabbir and brother Sajid told reporters that they were not satisfied with the police’s investigation as important pieces of evidence had not been made part of the case.

Ghulam Shabbir said while the pitcher, which was taken by the girl to fetch water, and the scissors with which her clothes were torn apart, were recovered from place of the incident by the police, they had not included them in the case.

The girl had claimed that around two years ago, the prime suspect had blamed her brother for handing over a cellphone to a female member of their family and despite his denial on oath, the panchayat (jirga) had ordered her brother to pay a fine of Rs300,000 to them.

She added that despite the decision of the panchayat, the accused led by Sajawal had paraded her naked in the village.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2018