Punjab govt failed to conduct transparent inquiry

The Supreme Court declared that the Punjab Police had “failed to conduct an honest and through investigation” into the Badami Bagh incident in which over 100 houses were ransacked and set alight by a charged mob over an alleged blasphemy incident. A three member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the case over the arson attack in a Christian neighbourhood in Lahore. The court adjourned the hearing to March 25 on assurance by new CCPO Lahore Muhammad Amlish who vowed before the bench that he would uncover the truth. Earlier today, the court had rejected Punjab government’s report on the incident. Expressing deep frustration and anguish, the chief justice expressed the intention to take over the investigation. Shocked and dismayed over the contents of the First Information Report (FIR) read out by the SSP investigation, Chief Justice Iftikhar remarked: “It seems that now the courts will have to take charge of investigations also.” He said although no lives were lost in the incident, the police had failed to protect the “property and dignity” of the residents of Joshep Colony. “This incident has caused an element of trauma that will keep on lingering in the minds of minority Christians living across Pakistan,” Justice Gulzar Ahmed said.