ISLAMABAD — An anti-terrorism court on Monday expressed strong displeasure with police officials for failing to produce the case record in the bail pleas of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, threatening to send a senior officer to jail and ordering him to remain in the dock.
The bail applications were heard by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abu Al-Hasnat Zulqarnain, who summoned the DSP in person after the investigation officer failed to appear.
Judge Demands Investigation Officer’s Presence
Defence counsel Raja Ali told the court he was ready to present detailed arguments. The judge, however, asked where the investigation officer was. A court official informed him that the officer was out of the city.
Expressing displeasure, Judge Zulqarnain questioned where the officer had gone and ordered the DSP to be called. He said verbal explanations would not be accepted and also summoned handcuffs and the security in-charge.
DSP Ordered to Speak in Urdu
When the DSP appeared before the court, the judge asked him where the case record was. The judge became angry when the DSP spoke in English and told him to address the court in Urdu.
The DSP said that, according to his information, the investigation officer was out of the city. The judge questioned how the DSP had appeared without the case record and reiterated that he did not accept verbal explanations.
Court Rejects WhatsApp Printout as Evidence
The DSP asked for time to provide the information, prompting the judge to demand something on the record. The judge warned that he could send both the DSP and SP to jail for six months and expressed strong anger over the officials’ conduct.
The judge further warned the DSP that he could make him stand in the dock and send him to jail for six months in uniform if he failed to produce evidence, saying the matter had become a “drama” and that the courts were subsequently blamed.
The DSP said the investigation officer had gone to Gilgit-Baltistan and presented a printed copy of a WhatsApp message in court. The court refused to accept the copy, with Judge Zulqarnain returning it to the DSP and ordering him to produce the original document.
DSP Detained in Dock Pending Decision
The court ordered the DSP to remain standing in the dock and directed the security in-charge not to let him leave until the judge made a decision. The judge also instructed the gate staff to stop the DSP from leaving and called for a judicial force capable of immediately enforcing court orders.
Judge Zulqarnain remarked that the system seemed to be operating according to the rules of 1898 and 1860, a reference to colonial-era legal frameworks.
