Court summons Gilani, sons in worker’s torture case

MULTAN: The Lahore High Court Multan Bench Monday issued orders to produce former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and his sons before the court on March 29.

The orders were passed on a petition which prayed the court to register criminal cases against Gilani and his sons for allegedly torturing a citizen and PPP former office-bearer. Earlier, the LHC Multan Bench summoned Gilani for March 19, but he did not appear before the court. His lawyers requested the court to adjourn the case.

Earlier, Multan division PPP Study Circle ex-president Farooq Bhatti filed a petition before the LHC Multan Bench, stating that he had moved an application with the City Police Office and the police station seeking registration of cases against Gilani and his sons but police were reluctant to register cases.

The petitioner said PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed a public meeting in December last. “I was hanging the welcome banners at High Court Chowk when Gilani’s sons and their guards allegedly attacked me and beat me severely with guns and punches,” he elaborated.

Crackdown on power pilferage ordered: The divisional administration has ordered initiating crackdown on power pilferage and constituted a committee comprising police, administration and Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) for the arrest of power pilferers, said the officials. In a high-level meeting held here on Monday, Commissioner Bilal Ahmed Butt finalised initiating crackdown against the power pilferers.

He said that power thieves were national criminals and indiscriminate action should be taken against them without accepting any political pressure. Multan RPO M Idrees asked the Mepco officials for submission of complete cases against the accused power thieves for registration of criminal cases.

He said he had directed all SHOs for registration of cases against the power pilferers without any delay but they would not be able to register fake cases. He asked the Mepco officials to inform the police in case of writing off payable amount by the defaulters.

Mepco Chief Executive Chaudhry Akram said the meter test laboratory had also verified the electricity meters found in power theft. All the SDOs have been directed registering FIRs against the power pilferers. Mepco CEO said that 1,500 FIRs had been registered against the accused.