LAHORE (MIAN DAWOOD) – A justice-seeking mother, who lost her five sons and four relatives in police shootouts, has been left at the mercy of Lahore High Court clerks, it is learnt.
Saleema Bibi, a resident of Bilal Ganj, moved the LHC against the Punjab police for killing her five sons and another four relatives in back-to-back shootouts.
On October 10, the LHC appointed Lahore District and Sessions Judge Nazir Ahmad Gajjana to probe the murders. On October 22, the LHC granted the time requested by the inquiry officer for the completion of the report. On November 12, the report was produced in the court, but proceedings were put off due to unavailability of the judge.
On Tuesday, Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq adjourned the court until December 21 after he was informed by Additional Advocate General Razaul Karim Butt that the judicial probe had not been placed on record. The court directed the judicial branch to place the report on record.
SSP (Operations) Sohail Sukhaira also made a request to the court to defer the hearing.
A senior court official said on condition of anonymity the report had been “finalised and forwarded to the LHC Judicial Branch”. He said the sessions judge probing the matter had recorded the statements of 45 witnesses, including family members, police officials, medical officers and neighbours of Saleema Bibi. He said the inquiry officer also visited the shootout locations which are in Chung area of the provincial capital, Vehari and Rahim Yar Khan.
Citing the report, he said the cops were found guilty while stern action had been suggested in the report.
A counsel for the woman claimed the inquiry report had landed at the LHC. “We came to know that the findings have landed at the court,” the counsel said, adding the delay in justice is adding to woman’s woes.
He alleged that the the officials succeeded in getting more time by requesting verbally that the report had not been placed on record so far, the counsel added.
Saleema Bibi, in her petitions, contended that police had arrested her five sons Imran, Jamshed, Awais, Zahid and Majid. She says the police later killed Imran, Jamshed and Awais in a fake encounter in Chung on September 19 and Malik Zahid, Majid and Ramzan in Vehari and other relatives in Rahim Yar Khan.