Expressing grave concern over faulty investigation in the murder of a dual national of UK – AJK, Farooq Ali, 47, who found dead in Ramada Hotel Islamabad three months ago, Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad Humayun Dilawar on Friday directed the Islamabad police to probe into cold-blooded murder and submit a report on July 02.
Appearing before the Judge on Friday, counsel for the petitioner, Advocate Sharafat A. Chaudhry argued saying, “This is a classic case of police high-headedness, mala fide, and inability to investigate properly into the heinous crime of murder.”
He alleged that the Ramada Hotel Islamabad management messed with the crime scene, adding the forensic evidence was not collected properly and even the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police didn’t prefer to conduct the postmortem of the dead body.
He further argued that despite the fact the dead body was lying in the hotel for nearly five days, without information to the police, not a single person has been apprehended for the sake of investigation saying it is a sheer violation of law of the land.
Advocate Sharafat A. Chaudhry alleged that the ICT Police in connivance with the Ramada Hotel management Islamabad tried their best to cover up the cold blooded murder, occurred in the heart of the capital city.
It is pertinent to mention that sister of the deceased Dr. Rehiana B. Ali currently residing at 38 Hastings Street, Bradford, BD5 9PQ, West Yorkshire United Kingdom invoked the jurisdiction of the Sessions Court Islamabad, making Inspector General of Police, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Islamabad, SSP Investigation, the ICT and Station House Officer (SHO) Police Station Secretariat, G-5, Islamabad as respondents in the matter.
The criminal law of the country empowers a Sessions Judge as Justice of Peace to issue directives to Police in response to the application of deceased person’s heirs to conduct a flawless investigation without fear and favor.
Advocate Sharafat A. Chaudhry submitted that the applicant is a law abiding dual national of the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. He informed that deceased brother of the applicant Farooq Ali (also dual national of the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and United Kingdom) has been murdered in Ramada Hotel, Murree Road, Islamabad, allegedly amongst 12th to 16th of March, 2022.
He apprised the court that the Ramada Hotel management informed the ICT police on March 16, 2022 that Mr. Farooq Ali had been found dead in his hotel room saying as per record, before the arrival of the police the lock of the room was broken and many hotel employees entered into the room who allegedly manipulated with the crime scene and distorted/ altered the important pieces of forensic evidence.
“The local police deviously, and in collusion with the Ramada Hotel management, tried to make this cold-blooded murder look like a suicide and despite having information since 16-03-22 did not register an FIR till 11-04-2022”, Advocate Chaudhry contended in the application.
After hearing brief arguments on Friday, the Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad summoned the focal person of ICT Police who ensured the court after contacting the concerned Police Station that a comprehensive report would be submitted in the matter on July 02, 2022.
The writer heads a leading news wire service ‘The Law Today Pakistan’ commonly known as TLTP. He has a special focus on news relating to superior courts adjudication, access to right of information, civil, political, social and economic rights under the approach that existing cyber regime realization ensures procedural fairness in administrative law. He can be reached at editor@tltpnews.com
