Will the Khadim-e-Aala Shahbaz Sharif and Munsif-e-Aala Justice Khawaja Sharif look into this matter?

* Constable stops car from entering Liberty parking from wrong end
* Young driver scuffles with official, threatens him with ‘dire consequences’
* Rangers appear on the scene, publicly beat constable and ‘kidnap’ him * Jeep stopped near Fortress Stadium, all occupants arrested
* Officials say negotiations between Rangers, police ‘ongoing’
* CCPO says FIR registered against ‘unidentified men’, constable still missing
* Action to be taken against DG’s son if found involved in ‘kidnapping’

Staff Report

LAHORE: The city witnessed a power struggle between two of key law enforcement agencies on Wednesday night when the son of Pakistan Rangers Punjab Director General Muhammad Yaqub Khan scuffled with a police constable in Liberty Market. Audaciously, he called in Rangers personnel, who proceeded to publicly assault the constable and ‘kidnapped’ him in a white Rangers jeep.

However, after broadcasting a wireless message about the incident, traffic wardens, along with other security personnel, stopped the jeep near Fortress Stadium and arrested the men in the vehicle, although the kidnapped constable was not found.

Consequences: Sarwar Road Station House Officer (SHO) Ihsan Ashraf Butt told Daily Times, “Constable Khalil had been deputed on security duty at the Liberty Market parking on Wednesday night, when a youngster (who was later identified as Imran, son of the director general of the Pakistan Rangers Punjab) in a black car bearing registration number ASD-707 approached the parking lane from the wrong end. At this, the constable stopped the car and directed him to turn around as he was trying to enter the lane through the wrong end. Reacting angrily, Imran argued with the constable and the two exchanged abuses and harsh words. Reportedly, the DG’s son also threatened the constable with dire consequences.”

Kidnapped: “A few minutes later, a white-coloured 4×4 vehicle arrived at the scene and around seven Rangers personnel asked Imran to identify the constable who had stopped him and then proceeded to beat up Khalil. They then threw him in the vehicle and fled the scene,” the SHO said, adding that during all of this, someone informed police emergency 15 about the incident, after which police officials broadcast a wireless message, that the constable had been kidnapped.

Jeep stopped: Later, traffic wardens, in collaboration with other police officials, stopped the jeep near the Fortress Stadium, proceeded to take all the people in the jeep in custody and impounded the vehicle. They shifted the arrested men to the Sarwar Road Police Station, the SHO said.

Sarwar Road Police Station Duty Officer Shakeel confirmed that the Rangers jeep had been impounded and said, “The superintendent of police will himself tackle the issue.”

Negotiations: Officials at the Sarwar Road Police Station confirmed that negotiations between senior police officials and Pakistan Rangers Punjab were ongoing until the filing of this report.

Also, Capital City Police Officer Pervez Rathore confirmed that the constable had been kidnapped and that he had still not bee recovered. First information report 247/2010 has been registered against “unidentified men” at the Gulberg Police Station. The CCPO said that did not know at the time of the incident that Imran was the son of the Pakistan Rangers Punjab DG. “If it is established that the DG’s son was involved in the kidnapping, we will sure act against him in accordance with the law,” Rathore said.

Related article: Where is justice for Constable Khalil, my lord? – by Abdul Nishapuri

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