JIT formed to probe arms licences scandal

Team comprises IB official, policemen; no member from MI or ISI

LAHORE

The Punjab government has constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe a mega scandal of illegal arms licences and weapons continued in the provincial metropolis since 1994 under the nose of sitting DCOs.

According to the notification (SO Judl-III) 11-2/2014) issued on June 16, the home secretary in exercise of power under Section 19(1) of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, has constituted a joint investigation team to conduct and finalise investigation in case FIR No 34/16 dated June 10, 2016, under Sections 11-F2, 11-N ATA, 420/468/471 PPC and 13-2b/20/65 AO 2015.

The investigation team will comprise Muhammad Iqbal, Lahore CTD SSP/RO as convener, a representative of Intelligence Bureau to be appointed by IB Punjab Joint Director General, Rana Ghulam Abbad, DSP/SDPO Gulshane Ravi, Lahore, Inspector Muhammad Aslam, incharge Investigation Iqbal Town police station, Lahore and Inspector Muhammad Siddique, Investigation Officer, police station, CTD. Lahore, will be its members.

The home secretary has directed the JIT to finalise its report within stipulated time and submit a copy of the same to the Home Department, Punjab.

A copy of the letter has also been sent to the Punjab IG, Addl IG CTD, the Lahore commissioner, DCO and ADC for information and necessary action. It is worth mentioning here that usually the representatives from ISI and MI are also appointed as members of the JITs but in this particular case only a member from IB has been appointed.

The said FIR was registered against three clerks of DCO Office, Lahore, declaring them members of Daesh and sellers of illegal weapons and arms licences following The News highlighted the issue, which was being hushed up by the top command of CTD.

On March 29, three officials of CTD named head constable Najam ud Din, constables Haroon and Shabbir Ahmad took into custody one Usman Arif, son of Muhammad Arif, a resident of Nizam Block Allama Iqbal Town. The CTD team suspected that as he has contacts with Daish and he could be involved in the park blast. CTD raided the house of Hameed Bhai and arrested him. During the search of his home, the cops recovered  a huge cache of sophisticated prohibited weapons, fake arms licences prepared and empty copies and 29 stamps of DCO office used to prepare arms licences. The special raiding team also recovered postal tickets used for arms licences worth Rs 225,0000. The CTD also recovered Rs 4.6 million in cash. However, the main culprits were sent to Bahawalpur to hush up the issue.

The JIT, if allowed, will probe why Hameed Bhai and Usman were sent to Bahawalpur and a case was registered against them in CTD Multan on a concocted story? Why they were detached from the DCO office clerks? 

The JIT will also investigate the list of 4,000 persons to whom the illegal arms licences were issued by Hameed Bhai and DCO office clerks. It will also probe the link of the DCO office clerks with Daesh or any other banned outfit. Hameed Bhai has been sent to jail in Bahawalpur so how the JIT will complete its investigations without his presence, the senior officers of Punjab police questioned. 

They said if the JIT remained successful in conducting the investigations on merit, it would help unearth networks of DCO office officials, post office officials with the active members of banned outfits.