LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday adjourned until April 20 the hearing of a petition seeking the registration of a first information report (FIR) under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) against the Jinnah Hospital doctors for detaining and torturing journalists at the hospital.
Submitting his reply in court, the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO) said that the police officers — present on the scene of the incident — had diligently performed their duties according to the law and no policeman had been found guilty of misusing power.
Locus standi: Jinnah Hospital in-charge Dr Javed Akram, in his reply, stated that the petitioner — Imtiaz Qureshi — had no locus standi to file the petition, as he had not directly suffered from the incident.
The petitioner’s counsel — Barrister Farooq Hassan — sought more time to file replies on the points raised by the respondents. Accepting Hassan’s request, the court adjourned the hearing.
On April 5, the LHC had ordered the Punjab government to immediately reopen the Jinnah Hospital Emergency Ward and had sought replies from Akram and Young Doctors Association Punjab President Dr Hamid Butt. The petitioner’s counsel had submitted that Akram and Butt had played havoc in the hospital on March 31 by attacking journalists. He said the doctors were guilty of several criminal offences, including illegal confinement of dozens of journalists, and indulged in acts that violated anti terrorism laws.
Hassan alleged that the two men also snatched cameras and the journalists’ recording equipment. He submitted that the acts of the respondents were in blatant violation of the freedom of speech guaranteed by the constitution. Hassan alleged that the role of police in the incident also reflected that police were against the concept of the freedom of speech. He requested that directions be issued to the Punjab health secretary, the federal health secretary, the Punjab law secretary and the Lahore police chief to take appropriate action under ATA sections against Akram and Butt.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/13/2010
