ISLAMABAD: Amidst intense scrutiny of the official account regarding the raid on the residence of PTI Chief Gohar Ali Khan in the capital, the police chief has suspended four officers deployed at the Supreme Court for their perceived failure to intercept media personnel approaching IGP Akbar Nasir Khan during his appearance at the apex court on Saturday.
The IGP was summoned by the top court in connection with a police raid at PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan’s house in Sector F-7, where he was interviewed by reporters, and the footage was subsequently uploaded on social media.
Sources within the capital police informed Dawn that the four officials were suspended on the orders of IGP Khan, who expressed dissatisfaction and reprimanded the officers for their inability to prevent the journalists from approaching him.
Police spokesperson Taqi Jawad confirmed the suspension of the officers deployed at the top court, attributing their removal to unspecified disciplinary reasons. When pressed for details, he mentioned a “uniform issue.”
The controversy surrounding the raid on Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s house persists, with the capital police failing to provide a justifiable explanation. According to the police, the raid was conducted based on information about proclaimed offenders being present in a house on the same street as Mr. Gohar’s. Officials stated that if someone is sheltering proclaimed offenders, the police typically register a case under Section 216 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
However, in this instance, no case was registered against anyone, undermining the official narrative that the raid resulted from a mix-up. Even after discovering that the house belonged to the PTI chairman, the police team did not attempt to approach the correct address to apprehend the alleged proclaimed offenders.
In response to inquiries about the identity of the proclaimed offenders and the absence of a registered case against those harboring them, the police spokesperson deferred to the forthcoming inquiry report.
Regarding the confusion in house addresses, officials pointed out that the police maintain 22 registers, including Register No. 12, containing details of individuals and installations in the areas. They suggested that if there was confusion over the address, it indicated a failure to update the registers.
The officials emphasized that according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), such raids require permission from the respective Zonal SP. The house fell under the jurisdiction of Kohsar police, which accompanied the Margalla police team during the raid. Both police stations are under the supervision of the SP City, who interestingly is leading the inquiry into this raid.
