SC expresses displeasure over drag race report

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the report submitted by the Punjab police on drag race, saying there were many lapses in it. A four-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing a suo moto case regarding killing of five persons in the drag race that took place in Rawalpindi last year. Former inspector general and now Director IB, Kaleem Imam, tendered unconditional apology for talking to Investigation Officer DIG Maj (Retd) Mubashir on phone and directing him to accept the affidavits being filed on behalf of Ali Riaz and others. The bench accepted the apology with the warning not to interfere in courts matter in future. Advocate General Punjab, Khawaja Haris, informed the court that order passed in the last hearing directing secretaries ministries of interior and foreign affairs and director general federal investigation agency to extradite Atif Sheikh, one of the organisers of drag race, to Pakistan, was not complied. He said according to police, there was no evidence of Ali Riazs involvement in the murder of five persons in drag race. He said the accused had file applications in the courts that the heirs of killed persons had pardoned them. The CJP said if Ali Riaz had not done anything wrong then why he was seeking apology from the heirs of the murdered persons. The Chief Justice inquired from Hamid Khan what really was happened. He showed ignorance, saying; I have no knowledge about it. Justice Ramday remarked that police had spared the influential persons. The investigation officer answered that Atif Sheikh was the main organiser, who gave permission for the race. Justice Ramday asked police, You are trying to protect an individual, adding, We are not party in the case but want rule of law should prevail in the country. The court observed that the relatives of the murdered should be properly and duly compensated, and asked Hamid Khan that he should make statement on behalf of his clients that heirs had forgiven him and adjourned the case till February 28.

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