Minister’s police station raids trigger controversy

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi's raids on police stations within Rawalpindi city remits created a new controversy for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

In a viral video on social media it can be seen that the state minister, beyond his legal mandate, raided the New Town police station.

He met the minor inmates detained at the station. The sources said that the four-member minor gang was caught red-handed in a robbery attempt lately.

The state minister reached Pir Duhai police station where he listened to the complaints of the inmates over the violation of Punjab Tenancy Act. The minister reportedly reprimanded the police officials.

The minister ordered suspension order of three police officials, including the SHO, for not immediately reaching the station when summoned. The minister also visited the police stations of Ganj Mandi and Ratta Amral. He summoned the SHOs at the Interior Ministry next day.

The SHOs reached the office of Rawalpindi CPO Ahsan Abbas and put forward their case. The CPO met the state minister and in the two-hour meeting successfully convinced him to take back his verbal suspension order.

The CPO said that inquiry has been initiated against the said police officials, adding that the minister was apprised of the issues police is facing in investigating the cases. Former Islamabad IG Tahir Alam said that the action by the state minister was beyond his legal ambit as police is a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment.