PTI’s May 25 long march: Judicial inquiry gives clean chit to police officers

LAHORE: A judicial inquiry gave a clean chit to police officers, who were deployed during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march on May 25, 2022, ARY News reported on Tuesday, citing a report.

According to a report issued by one-man inquiry commission headed by Justice Shabbar Rizvi, the commission did not find involvement of Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, Ali Murtaza, IG Rao Sardar, CCPO Bilal Siddique, DC Umar Sher Chatta, SP Safdar Kazmi and Amara Shirazi in ‘violence’ on PTI workers during May 25 long march.

However, the report held DSP Nasir Mushtaq and SHO Furqan Mehmood responsible and suggested departmental action against the two police officers.

Justice Shabbar Rizvi, in the report, the PTI leadership was found to have allegedly made unfounded accusations against government and law enforcement officers during their long march. “PTI did not present any proof of the violence its members suffered,” Justice Rizvi said.

Last year in September, the then-Punjab government formed a judicial commission to probe the alleged police torture unleashed against the PTI workers, supporters and other citizens during its “peaceful” long march on Islamabad on May 25.

Talking to media today, Dogar said that he had requested Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to write a letter to Home Ministry seeking judicial inquiry into police torture on long marchers.

“Police officials should appear before JIT and tell on whom directions the action was launched against peaceful PTI protesters on Mach 25,” he said.