Tariq Saeed Peshawar
As the nation continued condemning the mob justice with particular reference to recent incident of Swat lynching with the National assembly also passing a resolution on Sunday vehemently condemning the recent horrific and tragic incidents of mob-lynching in various parts of Pakistan, the Swat Police have shifted more than 2 dozen suspects, apprehended so far, to unknown location for interrogation.
The Police also launched a hunt to net the main culprits involved in the tragic incident with the Police high ups claiming the troublemakers have been identified and would be brought to books soon. Reports say the law enforcers have been conducting raids to arrest people identified with the help of CCTV cameras.
Causing a serious blow to the tourism in KP the unruly mob, it may be recalled, had burnt alive a local tourist over blasphemy allegations after snatching him from the Police custody besides setting on a fire a Police station and several Police vehicles in tourists spot Madyan in the picturesque valley of Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Thursday late night. The exchange of fire between the uncontrolled mob and the Police had also left around a dozen people including a cop wounded.
The Swat Police have arrested more than 25 suspects for their alleged involvement in the lynching and he arrested individuals, according to officials, have been shifted to an unknown location. “Efforts are underway to arrest others who were allegedly involved in the incident”. Police high ups said.
A joint investigation team (JIT) including Additional Inspector General Special Branch Kashif Alam and Additional IGP Investigation Alam Shinwari visited the place of the incident and collected evidence from the room of a local hotel where the deceased Salman, a resident of Sialkot, was staying. The JIT also consists of members from Intelligence Bureau, Special Branch and other law enforcement departments.
A day earlier, a report by a federal agency had expressed reservations over Police performance in the case saying after apprehending Salman, accused in blasphemy case, neither the station house officer (SHO) of the said police station took guidance from the higher-ups on the matter nor shifted the suspect to a safe place to avert his snatching by the mob from the Police custody. It said the absence of high police officials or political leaders during the mob violence also contributed to the loss that could have been avoided.
