The LHC has given the IGP until tomorrow at noon to produce Imran Riaz, the anchorperson in question, but CJ Bhatti is unhappy with the report on the case’s development.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended the deadline for the production of anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan to tomorrow.
Before Khan could be brought before the court, the IGP, home secretary, and additional chief secretary were all ordered to appear in person.
The court had already ordered the DPO of Sialkot to track down the anchorperson and bring him before the court within the next 48 hours.
While hearing a petition for the return of the missing journalist earlier this week, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti gave the ruling.
The journalist was taken into custody by the police on May 11 from the Sialkot Airport. He is a strong supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his ideas.
Following widespread protests and riots on May 9 in response to the detention of former premier Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court, the government sprang into action and began a crackdown against the PTI supporters.
According to reports, Imran Riaz Khan was detained for his role in inciting violence between police and PTI supporters.
Today in court, LHC Chief Judge Bhatti voiced his displeasure with the DPO’s progress report.
The court screamed, “The DPO had sought 48 hours for this report,” and concluded that it was “nothing but evidence of the non-seriousness of the police officials in the case.”
“The appointment of a sub-Inspector to probe this matter alone shows just how committed the police officials are,” the court said.
How could you possibly expect the police to work with him? For such “special people,” a “senior official should have been assigned the task of sitting with them,” as Chief Justice Bhatti put it.
The law enforcement official informed the court that a FIR had been filed, and that inquiries and an investigation were now underway.
However, Khan’s attorney maintained that the cops were only making hollow promises.
“The DPO has not only failed to come up with a comprehensive report, but has also failed to satisfy the court over the measures taken to identify those who took Imran Riaz Khan, the efforts made to trace the vehicle, and the whereabouts of the records of the CCTV footage of the event,” the attorney argued.
If law enforcement is unable to locate the anchorperson, the arguments centered on who would be responsible for bringing him to court, how the vehicle that picked up Khan could be identified, and whether or not a joint investigation team (JIT) should be formed.
This afternoon, in the court’s second round, the single bench heard testimony from IGP Anwar who had been previously summoned.
He promised the court that he would “leave no stone unturned in recovering or producing Imran Riaz Khan,” and that an investigation into the situation was underway.
Further, he promised the judge that every attempt would be taken to locate Khan and that all relevant authorities were working together with the police.
CJ Bhatti then deferred the proceedings to Friday at 12:15 PM to allow law enforcement to present the anchorperson.
