A chief of a police station in Lahore has been suspended for refusing to release the accused of harassing a woman at the request of the leader of the ruling party--the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Station House Officer (SHO) Rana Mujahid of Shalimar Police Station in Lahore did not accept the request of the ruling party's union council leader Shehbaz Chandi to release the accused of a henious crime.
According to the sources, a dispute arose between the PML-N leader and the SHO when the officer declined to release the suspects. The incident led to a confrontation, and senior police officials including DIG Operations, SP Civil Lines and the SHO appeared before the committee of the legislatives of the Punjab Assembly.
The sources said SHO Rana Mujahid has been suspended yielding to political pressure while other police personnel of the police station were also pressured to reconcile with the political leader involved.
Police sources said SHO Shalimar registered a case against six individuals on the woman's complaint and arrested two named suspects invovled in the harassment.
The police sources said PML-N Union Council leader Shehbaz Chandi visited the station and demanded the release of the suspects.
SP Civil Lines Abdul Hanan stated that an inquiry is underway and until the investigation is completed, SHO Mujahid has been suspended. The findings of the inquiry will be made public once concluded, he said.
Reporter: Irfan Malik