The Supreme Court questioned on Tuesday the performance of investigation officers of the Islamabad police. During the hearing of a case of illegal acquittal of land, Justice Qazi Amin ordered Islamabad Inspector-General Amir Zulfiqar to improve the performance of the police, specially the investigation officers.
“Protection of the lives and property of citizens is the utmost responsibility of the police,” he remarked. The court advised Zulfiqar to maintain a yearly book that could help officers with basic rules of investigation. “There should be a record of the cases of murder, robbery and illegal acquisition,” the chief justice said, adding that this should have been the first lesson taught to investigation officers after the independence.
He instructed that officers who are inefficient in their jobs should be issued show-cause notices. The Islamabad IG replied that an investigation was being conducted against all such officers.
“The problem is that these officers are not willing to step out in the field,” the chief justice pointed. This mafia of builders is very strong in Islamabad and no one can stand in front of them, he said.
One person was killed and four were injured over a one-storey plot, Justice Amin said. “The only job of the police was to see who owned the land and who came to illegally occupy it,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court took the Capital Development Authority to task on Tuesday and expressed its anger over its failure to demolish illegal housing societies in Islamabad.
“Why is that the Supreme Court’s orders on the demolition of illegal shops are being implemented in Karachi but not Islamabad? Why is the CDA demolishing khokhas, if it can’t demolish illegal housing societies?” The remarks were made by Chief Justice Athar. The court said that the authority asks for more time every time they are asked about the progress in illegal housing societies’ case.
