F.P. Report
RAWALPINDI: A local court in Rawalpindi on Monday again issued the arrest warrants for Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah directing the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) team to present the latter before the court after arresting him.
However, senior Civil Judge Ghulam Akbar rejected a request seeking to declare the interior minister a proclaimed offender in the case.
During the hearing, the judge remarked how the court could immediately declare the minister a proclaimed offender when it issued his warrants only a couple of days ago. He ordered the ACE team to go back to Islamabad and arrest Sanaullah.
At the outset of the hearing, the investigation officer told the court that the accused was hiding. He said that the ACE team tried to arrest him but all in vain and pleaded with the judge to declare him PO.
But the judge rejected his request and reissued Sanaullah’s arrest warrants.
On Saturday, the special court judge issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the interior minister for not appearing before the Anti-Corruption Establishment in connection with a corruption inquiry.
According to sources, the ACE team went to Islamabad to arrest Sanaullah but the Kohisar police station SHO refused to comply with the orders. The SHO contended that the warrants contained an address from Faisalabad. He insisted that neither Sanaullah was a resident of Kohisar vicinity nor had he set up any office here.
Sources further said that the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment team was carrying incomplete arrest warrants and left the federal capital without arresting the minister.
ACE team again fails to arrest minister
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Establishment team left Rawalpindi Kuchehri and headed to Secretariat Police Station, Islamabad to arrest Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. But the team once again failed to accomplish its mission and left empty-handed.
According to the ACE unit, the SHO of the Secretariat Police Station did not cooperate with it.
It further stated that the SHO even didn’t scribble a report regarding their arrival and departure from the police station. It alleged that the police mistreated the ACE team.
The ACE officials said that tomorrow they would apprise the court of what happened to them today (Monday).
ICT Police deny ACE claim
On the other hand, the Islamabad Capital Police denied the Punjab ACE team’s claim and said that they formally received Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s arrest warrants but the Punjab team refused to hand over the record.
The ICT police said that they duly logged the ACE team’s entry and exit record while advising the team to adopt a legal procedure to sort a legal issue.
In its tweet, the ICT Police wrote: “The officers of Anti-Corruption Establishment Punjab are requested to resolve the legal issues in a legal manner and avoid misrepresentation. Misrepresentation creates obstacles in the way of mutual cooperation between institutions in administrative matters. Islamabad Police reserve the right to take legal action on such misrepresentation.”
