Punjab wants to protect the car don
26 July, 2011
ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has shown its keenness to provide protection to the jailed car don, Muhammad Hasan, and may consider making him an approver if he makes the right disclosures and helps arrest the mafia players, but the don has repeated that he only trusts the chief justice.
Interestingly, an Islamabad-based anti-car lifting association, which includes people whose vehicles have been stolen, has sought immediate protection for Hasan, besides endorsing the don’s viewpoint that it is only the chief justice who could break the mafia and get their stolen vehicles recovered. Otherwise, it is feared that the well-connected car-lifting mafia would subdue everyone else.
Nothing has, however, been heard as yet from the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on this issue, which otherwise has attracted the interest of a large number of people many of who had lost vehicles which were never recovered.
One such person claims to be in possession of documentary evidence where he can prove the involvement of son-in-law of the brother of an inspector general of police in stealing his car, who was not apprehended for being influential.
According to an official press release issued by the Punjab government, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while taking a strict note of The News (a local Newspaper) story on the don, directed the Punjab inspector general of police to immediately contact the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to get the custody of the carlifter for investigations. The press release said the IGP had also been directed to ensure full protection to family members of the accused as well as holding a transparent inquiry to find out the facts.
The News (a local Newspaper) on Monday broke the story of the underworld don, involved in the multi-billion car-lifting trade in the country, who has volunteered to uncover the powerful mafia players, including police officials, Excise Department personnel and private business tycoons, but feared for his life for which he has sought protection.
The don, against whom there are more than 100 cases of car theft registered in different police stations of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and different cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, does not trust anyone but Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to make disclosures, which he insists would be vital to launch a decisive crackdown against the mafia. He fears if he opened his mouth, he would be killed by the mafia. Hasan has also promised to get recovered a large number of stolen vehicles, but fears for his life once he exposes the who’s who in the underworld of car-lifting mafia.
On Monday, The News (a local Newspaper) again had an interaction with the don through a jail source and it was revealed that the newly-appointed Tehsildar of Jamrud and an IB official had met Hasan. However, the jail authorities were disallowing media persons to meet Hasan. Some of the journalists were even told that there was no person with the name of Muhammad Hasan in the judicial lock-up of Jamrud.
Hasan has conveyed to The News (a local Newspaper) that he has taken a great risk and has seriously endangered himself and his family’s life to break the car-theft mafia for which he direly needs the support of authorities, particularly the chief justice. He reiterated his earlier statement that Justice Iftikhar is the only person whom he trusts.
Meanwhile, an otherwise unknown but recently formed Anti-Car Lifting Association Islamabad/Rawalpindi approached The News (a local Newspaper) and demanded of the chief justice to take suo moto notice on the news item, besides ensuring immediate protection to Hasan.
In another e-mail message sent to this correspondent, the association leaders said after getting disappointed with the police and other government officials, the victims of car theft of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently formed an association, the ‘Anti-Car Lifting Association Islamabad’, to bring together all persons whose precious cars had been stolen, while none of the government officials and responsible police officials were ready to hear them.
“The association has gathered a lot of material from different sources and the investigative report published in The News (a local Newspaper) confirms its authenticity,” the e-mail said, adding the report was encouraging for all the victims of the car mafia and it gave them hope that the Supreme Court, police chiefs and other government officials will take immediate steps against this powerful mafia to secure the lives and belongings of the citizens of the country.
The News (a local Newspaper) is also being approached by innumerable individuals whose vehicles have been stolen with the hope that the don’s cry would be heard by the chief justice for immediate action against the mafia.
Courtesy: The News
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=7660&Cat=13&dt=7/26/2011
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