On the occasion of 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, the celebration of the Prophet’s birth, a raid was carried out allegedly on the orders of SP Sidra.
During the raid, Ishtiaq Bhai, a devoted lover of the Prophet, fell into boiling oil and suffered severe burns.
It is alleged that although the police were present at the scene, they stood by instead of immediately taking the badly burned man to hospital. He was reportedly taken to hospital only after local residents intervened.
Even after he was admitted to hospital, security personnel allegedly tried to pressure Ishtiaq into giving a statement saying that the police were not at fault and that he had fallen into the oil of his own accord.
If all of these actions were carried out on the instructions of SP Sidra, then this is an extremely serious matter. There must be a transparent investigation and immediate action against those responsible.
Murderous regime. Brutal police.
Ishtiaq Khan was buried forcibly, in great haste, and under an atmosphere of fear. It was as if there had been no funeral at all. The situation resembled a curfew: neither his family and relatives were allowed to participate freely, nor could local residents gather, nor was any party worker able to come forward.
The entire process was effectively taken over by the police. From the hospital to the burial at the graveyard, everything took place under the supervision of SP Sidra and Lahore Police. His body was barely allowed to remain at his home for even a minute before he was hurriedly taken away for burial.
Why was there such urgency, panic and chaos? This is the question now on everyone’s mind: what was the police trying to hide?
The duty of the police is to maintain law and order, yet here frightened children and a grieving family were allegedly harassed, pressured into providing statements according to the police’s wishes, and forced into an early burial.
The situation went so far that, at the time of the funeral, two or three women who were standing at a distance were reportedly questioned for nearly two hours each. Their mobile phones were checked and they were searched, which clearly reflects the level of panic surrounding the police operation.
When this incident took place during the celebrations of Eid Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ, why was there an apparent attempt to keep everything concealed, from the hospital all the way to the funeral?
There is now a serious concern that the police may attempt to create a fabricated version of events in order to conceal the facts surrounding the alleged police violence, and may even try to place responsibility for Ishtiaq’s death on members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, potentially registering an FIR against them.
But the truth cannot be buried in such haste.
Time will reveal what really happened. Whatever secret required such an extraordinary police presence across the city cannot remain hidden forever.
One day, the truth will come out.