RPO forms body to probe police's action against lawyers

SHAHID RAO/ israr ahmed RAWALPINDI - The Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi, Nasir Khan Durrani, Tuesday constituted a four members committee led by SSP Operations Yasin Farooq to probe the police action lawyers community. IT is merit mentioning here that police personnel raided the District Bar premises in the wee hours of Sunday and arrested many lawyers, including Rawalpindi Bar President. In this regard, a delegation of lawyers met RPO and complained about the highhandedness of police party that raided the bar premises and damaged many valuables and also arrested the bar president. Nasir Khan Durrani asked the lawyers' delegation to file their complaint in writing and he would take necessary legal action. The police committee consisted of SSP Operation, SP Rawal Town Zarat Kiani, DSP Cantonment and DSP Legal. Earlier, some 150 lawyers led by Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Rawalpindi President Malik Shahzad Gehba and DBA President Chaudhry Toufiq Asif lodged their with RPO. DBA General Secretary DBA Raja Asif informed TheNation that they had held City Police Officer (CPO) Inayatullah Farooq, SP Potohar Town Sardar Maqsood, DSP Civil Lines Raja Taifur, area SHO Karim Niazi and few other policemen accountable for attacking bar premises, beating lawyers and taking away many valuable things. He said that the lawyers had also formed a 10 members legal committee headed by DBA president to help the committee in unearthing the facts. Meanwhile, in general body meeting, the lawyers passed two resolution seeking life time ban on the entry of JUF Amir Maulana Fazalur Rehman in Rawalpindi Bar for his negative attitude towards lawyers' movement for restoration of judges. In the second resolution, the lawyers said no police officer would be allowed to enter the bar in future. Speaking on the occasion, former vice president LHCBA Raja Asif said that the lawyers were satisfied that their struggle had met its logical end and CJ Iftikhar had been restored. CPO asks bus stand owners to install CCTV City Police Officer (CPO) Capt (retd) Inayatullah Farooq held a meeting with office bearers of district's transport unions Tuesday and discussed security arrangements after the recent suicide attack at Pirwadhae Mor. The concerned area police officers and the owners of mini buses, wagons and managers of Suzuki stands also attended the meeting. During the meeting several security measures for the safety of passengers and road users came under discussion. CPO Inayatullah directed the bus stands owners to hire retired personnel from army or police as security guard carrying metal dictators for frisking passengers and luggage and install CCTV cameras at all inn and exit points of stands to keep a vigil eye on anti-social elements. He also directed them to build boundary walls around all D class bus stands in the district besides deputing security guards and video cameras at entry and exit points to thwart terrorist activities. On this occasion the transport unions' office bearers said that they would prepare a Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) after conducting a survey of their bus stands and would present it in next meeting. They said that officials of Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) and Cantonment Board should also be directed to attend the meeting to evolve a comprehensive security plan.

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