Confiscation of drugs: Parliamentary body rejects inquiry conducted by Balochistan govt

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Monday rejected inquiry conducted by the Balochistan government with respect to confiscation of drugs by the Assistant Commissioner (AC) Dalbandin, and summoned the official, who refused to register first information report, and to take charge of the narcotics.

The sub-committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Narcotics Control, which met with convener Shahida Akhtar Ali in the chair, expressed reservation over the inquiry report, and summoned police station in-charge Akhtar Muhammad for refusing registration of the FIR, and taking charge of the narcotics confiscated by AC Dalbandin Ayesha Zehri.

Zehri told the committee that she along with Levies Force personnel seized vehicles in February and recovered a huge quantity of drugs from it.

She said that she was informed by a source during routine patrolling at Kazyo area of Posti, situated on Pakistan-Afghanistan border, that a drug smuggler was carrying drugs in a caravan of cars, and intended to smuggled it to Afghanistan.

She said that she along with her team took position in the area, and after a long wait, a caravan of vehicles reached the area late at night.

After exchange of firing, we contained the caravan by puncturing the tyres of one of their Iranian truck, "Zamyad" loaded with drugs, she said.

The AC said that after the operation, she shifted the intercepted vehicles containing drugs to a police station but the in-charge of the police station refused to take charge of the vehicles and registered FIR.

The in-charge told me that the deputy commissioner had instructed him not to take charge of anything Zehri brings to the police station, she said.

The Deputy Commissioner (DC), Fateh Khan Khajak, denied having given instruction of not taking charge of the intercepted vehicle with drugs.

He said that the AC did not contact him and communicated directly with the chief commissioner.

He also denied that the in-charge of the police station had refused to register the FIR.

As soon as he received informed, he went to the police station, and directed the police station in-charge to register FIR and took charge of the vehicles, he said.

He said that the row intensified, the Balochistan government ordered an inquiry.

As a result of the inquiry, the AC was suspended, and he (DC) was exonerated, Khajak said.

MNA Mohsin Dawar asked the DC that during the last meeting you had brought some herbs, and told the committee that the vehicle seized by the AC was containing these herbs, and not drugs.

How you came to know before receiving of forensic report that the consignment seized by the AC was containing herbs not drugs.

Under which law you have brought out these herbs or drugs from maalkhana of the police station, and presented before the committee, he further asked.

Chief Commissioner Ayaz Khan told the committee that the main mistake during the whole episode was the delay in the registration of the FIR.

"Police station in-charge was the subordinate of the AC and it was his duty to register the FIR," he said, adding that it was not necessary for the AC to write a letter to the DC or to the chief commissioner for registration of the FIR.

Khan told the committee that he suspected that what was seized during the operation by the AC was different from the things (herbs) presented by the DC before the committee.

"There are incidents that the police station in-charge had changed the drug confiscated in different operation," he said.

When the committee asked what action was taken against the police station in-charge, who had refused to register the FIR, the official told the body that no action was taken against him as no action was recommended against him in the inquiry.

The committee rejected the report, and summoned Akhtar Muhammad, police station in-charge during the next meeting.

The meeting was also attended by MAN Andleeb Abbas, Ehsanullah Reki, and senior officials of the Ministry of Narcotics Control.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020