Source/Credit: The Express Tribune
By Asad Kharal | January 28, 2012
The reason: he initiated legal proceedings against the police for making derogatory remarks about his religion.
LAHORE: A Christian human rights activist fears he may be killed for standing up to the police.
Waseem Shakir – a district coordinator for minority affairs for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh – says that he might be targeted in an ‘encounter’. The reason: he has initiated legal proceedings against the police for making derogatory remarks about his religion.
Two of his associates have also filed independent petitions alleging harassment against the police.
Waseem Shakir says that ASI Riaz had contacted his younger brother Faheem Masih and asked him to convince Shakir to withdraw the petition against the police. Riaz, Shakir alleges, told his brother that Shakir would be killed in an encounter if he did not withdraw his complaint. Shakir says that two Special Branch officials had contacted him and pressured him to withdraw the petition. “They threatened me dire consequences if I did not and gave examples of Human Rights activists being killed across the country,” says Shakir. Shakir’s complaint states that on December 31, 2011 Shakir, Javed Iqbal and Sajjad Ahmed were stopped at the Kot Addu bypass by six policemen. The petition identifies two of the men as Inspector Muhammad Akbar and Assistant Sub Inspector Riaz Bhatti.
Bhatti is alleged to have said that considering the car belonged to a Christian it should be searched thoroughly. He is also alleged to have detained them for two hours. Shakir says claim the policemen abused their religion during that time.
On January 3, the Kot Addu police registered an FIR against Shakir, Tariq Masih, Gul Muhammad Bhatti , Ahtisham Khurram Masih, Sehat Masih and Khalid accusing them of attacking the police. Police say that they tried to arrest Tariq Masih and Shahid Masih for bootlegging but they opened fire on the police party. According to the FIR the raiding policemen was also beaten up.
Shakir says the judge hearing the case had found it remarkable that not one policeman was injured in the shooting.
The Kot Addu Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asadullah Khan denied the allegations levelled by Shakir, adding that the police were not threatening him or anybody involved in any way.
Behram Francis, the National Coordinator for the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) of Pakistan demanded that Waseem Shakir be protected. “Police is supposed to protect all Pakistani citizens without discrimination,” he said. He asked the chief minister and the Chief Justice of Supreme Court to intervene.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 28th, 2012.
Read original post here: Harassment: Christian activist says he fears death at police’s hand
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