With the increase in the number of police brutality cases in Pakistan, yet another statement from the past has come back to haunt the Prime Minister (PM), Imran Khan.
Last year during his speech at Bahawalpur city, Imran Khan vowed that his first act after assuming power as PM will be to “bring reforms in Punjab police”. He said that he will make Punjab Police exactly like the one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa free from political influence.
But with the recent appearance of two torture and murder cases of Punjab police in Lahore, it seems that Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government has failed to complete another promise it made to its supporters.
Last month in August, officials from the anti-corruption department unearthed a private torture cell in a forest near Karol village, set up by the station house officer (SHO) and constables of Gojjar Pura police to torture people illegally.
Similarly, a few days ago the ATM robber identified as Salahuddin Ayubi who went viral for making faces on the CCTV camera while robbing an ATM passed away in police custody.
The police claimed that Ayubi was behaving like a “mad man” in lockup when he suddenly became unwell. They added that the deceased was reportedly suffering from a health condition.
Both these cases have sparked outrage on social media and people are demanding justice from the Punjab Government.
This is not the first time police has been accused of brutally torturing or murdering people.
Previously, on January 19, four people were killed in an alleged shootout in Sahiwal, with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel claiming they had killed a local commander of militant organisation Daesh and three others in the operation.
However, the eyewitnesses had claimed that the police recovered no explosives from the alleged militant’s vehicle. The case is still pending in the court.
