Justice Sharif's Murder Plot 'A Remarkable Tale': Report

Justice Sharif’s murder plot ‘a remarkable tale’: Report

Further reading:

We look forward to the follow up story to the plot to kill Justice Sharif- by Chaudry Ahmad Khan and Ahmad Iqbalabadi

Special Branch Report to kill Khwaja Sharif “false and baseless”

The alleged Plot to kill Justice Sharif: A wishful thinking of Ansar Abassi (part 1) – by Fawad Manzoor

CJ murder plot: Top cops tortured on Shahbaz Sharif’s instructions – by Rauf Klasra

As they say, “aik jhoot chhupanay kay liye, sau jhoot bolnay partay hayn”. In a true investigative report by Express Tribune’s Rauf Klasra, the 3 member Judicial Commission, headed by CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry appointed BHC CJ, Qazi Faez Isa has termed the infamous “Plot to kill Justice Sharif unearthed” as nothing but a “remarkable tale”. Colonel Ehsan and Dr. Tauqir Shah have been implicated by the commission while at the same time, it has once again unmasked the “investigative journalism” of Pakistan’s apex investigative journalist, Ansar Abbasi!

Though the report was considered baseless from day one as a way to create friction between the executive and judiciary, what is most satisfying that the way Ansar Abbasi and his gang investigate their “scoops” has been exposed. The report was provided to Ansar Abbasi by Tauqeer Shah. Also there are recorded conversations between Ansar and Tauqeer that discuss the report. Now you know where the investigations come from.

We demand that the Judicial Commission report be released officially and strict action be taken against Tauqeer Shah for releasing “confidential information” to the press. Colonel Ehsan and Tauqeer Shah be removed from their office and be barred from service. We also demand that Ansar Abbasi’s membership of various journalistic bodies be rescinded and all previlieges given to journalists like him be stalled.

It is also demanded that the PPP and Taseer Family, proceed with libel action against the individuals and the journalist for unnecessarily dragging honorable people in such conspiracires. It is time that we all stand up against these liars, who ply their trade with others’ lives.

Justice Sharif’s murder plot ‘a remarkable tale’: Report

By: Rauf Klasra

A three member Judicial Commission led by Chief Justice Balochistan High Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa in its findings into the alleged plot to kill Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Khawaja Mohammad Sharif has concluded in its 150 page secret report that the Chief of the Special Branch Punjab, Colonel Retired Ehsanur Rehman, and Director Special Branch Shahid Mahmood, with the help of two police constables, had hatched a conspiracy to produce a false and fabricated intelligence report in a bid to further their careers.

In a hard-hitting 150-page secret report, the Commission fixed the responsibility of the false report on the chief of the Special Branch Punjab, Colonel Retired Ehsanur Rehman, and Director Special Branch Shahid Mahmood. It also suggested disciplinary action against Dr Tauqir Shah, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and recommended that he should not be given any sensitive post in the future.

Terming the ‘plot’ to kill the CJ LHC a “remarkable tale”, the Commission said that it was authored by the four men who were not only “incorrigible liars” but also “men of little character and credibility.” The Commission has concluded that these four had enacted this charade and should be punished.

The Commission has also recommended to the government to immediately terminate the contract of Colonel Rehman who is now heading Civil Defence Punjab as he was found in serious breach of his duty and for having acted against the public interest. It also recommended that Rehman not be employed in any public position in the future. The Commission was formed by the federal government on October 1, 2010, to verify the facts of a news report on the alleged plot. The commission comprised Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman (then of the Lahore High Court), Justice Imtiaz Ali (Peshawar High Court) and Chief Justice Balochistan High Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa as its chairman. After two months of deliberations, the commission submitted its report to the government.

Dr Shah in his statement also confessed before the three member commission that he had actually provided the copy of the intelligence report to an Islamabad based reporter of The News , who published it on September 11, 2010 . [THIS CAN BE NONE OTHER THAN OUR DEAREST ANSAR ABBASI, PAKISTAN’S APEX INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST]

According to a copy of the Judicial Commission report with The Express Tribune, Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab, Dr Tauqir Shah had admitted that he had sent the “source report” to the Islamabad based journalist. The commission also received a computer CD through the post, which was stated to be a recording of the conversation that took place between the journalist and Dr Shah.

“We have no doubt that the voices on the said disk were those of the journalist and Dr Shah and confirm what was narrated by the two witnesses. Therefore, there remains no doubt in our minds that Dr Shah was the person who provided the information to the journalist which formed the basis of his report in his newspaper,” the report observed.

This is a second inquiry report into the alleged plot to kill the Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif. The first inquiry was conducted by Director FIA Zafar Ahmad Qureshi. This was submitted to the Chief Justice of Pakistan on November 5, 2010. The FIA inquiry’s 449 page report concluded that no such plot existed and it had dismissed the claim made in the news story.

On the issue of identity of the compiler of the report and whether the report could be considered true, the Judicial Commission said it was very strange for them to observe that according to DG Special Branch Colonel Rehman, the report was sent to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on August 2, 2010 and the covering envelope did not bear any date, number or signature. It was also not sent with a covering letter. The report lay unattended in the CM Punjab office for 32 days (August 2 to September 4) and was finally opened by an official in the presence of secretary Dr Shah.

It said that the source report sent by Colonel Rehman was typed in English and was a translation from an 5 page Urdu document titled “Ahem Report” (Important Report).

Pointing out contradictions in the statements of the concerned officials, the Judicial Commission said that Rehman told the Commission that the report was brought to him by his Director Shahid Mahmood. But Mahmood stated that the report was prepared by sub inspector Shakeel Hassan. However, SI Hassan denied either taking the report to Mahmood or being the originator of same.

Their statements recorded by the FIA, which was conducting a separate inquiry, were also shown to Rehman and Mahmood. Both officers had given in writing to the FIA in their initial statements that they did not know about any such report and it was never prepared by the Special Branch. But after five days, they gave fresh statements to the FIA in which they said they had written the said report. The Judicial Commission report observed that SI Hassan was the only man who throughout maintained that he never wrote any such report.

The Judicial Commission report said that upon this denial, both Colonel Rehman and Director Mahmood sought to introduce constables Ahmad and Azam and here began a “remarkable tale”.

The JCR said, both Rehman and Mahmood admitted before the Judicial Commission that they had lied to Director FIA Zafar Qureshi who was conducting an inquiry into the matter.

Quoting different statements of these four important characters of the Special Branch Punjab, the Judicial Commission observed that the narration of the same event greatly varied and the differences were neither minor nor could be explained away on account of fading memories. “They probably did not expect to be questioned about the manner of submission of the said report and as such did not match their respective stories,” the Commission observed.

According to Mahmood, he was not alone when the trio of Hassan, Constable Ejaz and Constable Azam came to him. He went out into the garden where Hassan informed him of the plot. But, according to constable Azam, Director Mahmood was informed about the plot in his office. Constable Ejaz contradicted both Mahmood and Azam as he said he was learnt of the plot for the first time when SI Hassan dictated the same to him.

They all also differed in their accounts of what happened when the same report was submitted. According to Mahmood, the trio were inside his office when the report was submitted and they stood in front of him when he read the entire report. But according to constable Ejaz, after reading the first page, Mahmood told him and constable Azam to leave the room, whereas as per constable Azam, neither he nor Ejaz entered the Director’s office.

The two admitted to being close friends and are referred to as a “pair” in the special branch. They were not particularly fond of sub inspector Hassan and constable Azam even referred him as a “kaam chor”. The Judicial Commission report comments “We do not subscribe to the view that they were the originators of the said report for the reasons that they work in the lower tiers of the Special Branch, had not done this kind of work before, had not served in the Sindh police and therefore could have not access to the information regarding the persons mentioned in the report who hailed from Sindh and in respect of matters pertaining to Sindh and finally, the conclusions and analysis put forward in the report required greater intellectual capacity.”

The Judicial Commission report said from the statements and testimonies of Rehman and Mahmood, constables Ejaz and Azam, all of them initially professed to have no knowledge about the said report and subsequently, both Colonel Rehman and Director Mahmood owned up to the report but attributed it to sub inspector Hassan and did not make any mention of constable Ejaz and Azam. However, after sub inspector Hassan denied knowledge of the report, constable Ejaz and Azam were introduced. Constable Ejaz professed to have acted as SI Hassan’s stenographer while constable Azam as the one who copied the report. All of them admitted to lying and they repeatedly lied to persons in authority. The Judicial Commission report said after receiving the source report, strangely Director Mahmood did not pursue the matter further.

It said the source report among other things also stated that Chief Justice Khawaja, the then Chief Justice Lahore High Court, “comes on the last Friday of every month and holds a Milaad function from Asar to Magrib” at his ancestral house at Tape Road and that “ the criminals are expected to target Justice Khawaja then”. The report questioned that if as stated by Rehman and Mahmood that the report was prepared in early August 2010, the last Friday of the month would fall on August 27, therefore, it was imperative to apprehend the criminals before then. But the officers did absolutely nothing. When questioned, Mahmood in his statement said that “I did not follow up on the report, nor I asked about any follow up upon it”.

“We were also amazed to learn that there is no official file in the Special Branch regarding the subject. It also belies comprehension that neither the source report nor the report have been signed, dated, numbered nor states the name of the person who had prepared it. The source report thus only exists if Colonel Rehman or Director Mahmood wanted it to. A sensitive organization like the Special Branch cannot possibly be made to operate in this manner,” the Commission observed, adding it could not be understood why the same report was not shared with other departments given the fact that the head of provincial judiciary was the intended target. We look forward to the follow up story to the plot to kill Justice Sharif- by Chaudry Ahmad Khan and Ahmad Iqbalabadi

Even “yellow journalists” would be insulted to be in the same category as the Jang Group. A media group that has always promoted the interests of dictators, bigots and fascists has been at the forefront in maligning the current elected PPP-led government. The news item, ” Plot to kill Justice Sharif Unearthed ” (The News, September 11, 2010) smacks of the innuendo, gossip and mendacity or as GEO likes to call it, news! Earlier the same author, i.e. the apex investigative journalist of Pakistan, HE Ansar Abbasi had made himself a laughing stock by filing a report titled “Get CJ Iftikhar operation on the cards“ in June 2010.

The sheer failure and incompetence of the Punjab Provincial Government makes it imperative that they have to rely on the crutches of establishment proxies like the Judiciary and the media. This is a similar instance when GEO’s resident Talibanistas like Ansar Abbasi, indulge in their favorite game of PPP-baiting.

The entire “news” report does not possess an element of substantiated fact that would allow for its preposterous conclusion. The motives listed for ” killing” Justice Sharif are even more laughable. As it is not the way to get rid of him, he is already at the end of his term. PML(N) Govt can not be discredited or embarrassed with such act as everyone knows CJ Sharif’s cordial relations and media sympathies with the Sharifs, and as usually after every act of terrorism, the blame is shifted on the federal Govt, and federal Govt. will never dig their own grave.

PPP Govt will never commit the mistake of imposing Governor’s Raj as they have learnt from their previous follies.

In fact Sharifs and their counterparts in Judiciary and Lawyers will be benefited as it will be a blessing for them as they will get a ” POLITICAL SHAHEED ” for a new phase of destabilization and dragging through the mud campaign against the federal Govt .

Justice Sharif has openly come out and expressed his anti-Hindu views which could be viewed as a sign of bigotry. Similarly, he has explicitly expressed his anti- PPP political recommendation. Such views would endear him to the violent sections of society. Far from making him the target of violent criminal elements, such view would endear him to the very Pro Taliban militias and elements.

Off course, in the alternate universe that is being propagated by the likes of the Jang Group and their various subsidiaries like GEO and ARY, the likes of the LHC CJ, Justice Sharif are an anathema to the “Liberal fascists” who control Pakistan!

Having filed his report to be published on Eid day, Ansar Abbasi and his pals like Ahmed Noorani have been making rounds amongst PPP’s 3rd tier leadership such as district and provincial level leaders by calling them up, sending SMS and asking questions whose answers can only try to substantiate Ansar Abbasi’s story.

The questions that are being asked include: linking a certain Babar Sindhu to the President and asking them if Babar Sindhu has been tasked to kill CJ Sharif and that this Babar Sindhu has gotten criminal elements released from prisons to carry out the task. Some office bearers have also been harrassed by asking them questions about calls being received on their phones and money being transferred to their accounts and vehicles provided to carry such tasks. First and foremost EVEN if there is such a plan, no one will ever admit it. Why do Ansar Abbasi and his gang come up with stories that are only there to keep them in the news? If you can’t substantiate such stories, why come up with them? I feel that stories will be published as a follow up to the Eid day story on 14th September. Whatever the story it will be, it will for sure be full of innuendo and 2+2=22 kind of version by the leading yellow journalists group called Jang Group.

Here are the news segment published in “The News” and “Daily Jang” respectively

Plot to kill Justice Sharif unearthed

ISLAMABAD: Special Branch Punjab, the leading provincial intelligence outfit, has generated a horrific report about an alleged plot prepared by some top federal figures to assassinate the Honorable Chief Justice Lahore High Court Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, it is learnt. Credible Punjab government sources confided to The News that the report has been immediately shared with the ISI to cross-check its credibility whereas the Punjab Police and counter terrorism department have been asked to immediately launch an operation against those identified in the report as “hired assassins”.

The Inspector General Punjab, according to the source, personally visited the Honorable Chief Justice and informed him of the alleged plot. Chief Minister Punjab, the source said, has directed the police to take all possible measures for the safety and security of the top judge of the province. Three key federal authorities have been named in the report as the plotters however; this newspaper is not unveiling them because of the sensitivities involved and also for the reason that at this stage the disclosure of their names would be premature. The report also contains the names of the hired assassins but this information is being withheld by The News on the request of the source, who insisted that the disclosure of their names would make it hard for the provincial government to get hold of them.

The report titled “PLAN TO ELIMINATE A VALUE TARGET” was recently submitted to the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif as “Most Immediate” and “For the CM’s eyes only”. The source of this shocking information has been identified by the agency as “a dependable source”.

The three-page intelligence report gives all the necessary details about the plotters as well as the hired assassins. It has also identified a “special cell” created by the plotters to execute the assassination plan.

The plot envisages hiring of hardened criminals, who are likely to make a murderous attempt on the CJ LHC during his visit to ancestral house at Tape Road, backside of Veterinary Hospital Lahore, where he comes on the last Friday of every month and holds a Milad function from Asar to Maghrib. “Since a large number of people attend the Milad and the security measures on the occasion are not adequate, the criminals are expected to target the CJ LHC here,” the report warned. The report revealed that a person, involved in judge’s murder case but acquitted recently and considered closely associated with a key federal figure, got released some of diehard criminals (all named in the report) and constituted a gang of criminals/hired murders. All the gang members have a long criminal history and background. The report also reflected on their hideouts. The report also revealed that in an important official residence, a special cell is working on the formulation of another team of criminals (whose names are also included in the report). The criminals, identified in the report, are said to be regular visitors of the important official residence. These criminals are also said to be trying to get released some more criminals from jail. A federal minister, who is amongst the alleged plotters, according to the report, views that CJ LHC is close to Mian brothers and considers him as an obstacle in furtherance of PPP’s objectives/designs in Punjab.

“By achieving the said high profile objective, PPP will gain the following:

(i) Getting rid of CJ LHC Khwaja Muhammad Sharif; ii) Embarrassment to government of Punjab in judiciary; iii) Discredit the PML-N government in the eyes of public, media, lawyers etc; and iv) Pave way for enforcing Governor Rule in Punjab by propagating that the government has failed to check terrorism in an effective manner.

The report sought from the government to beef up the security measures of the CJ LHC besides putting a close watch on the activities of the aforementioned criminal elements. Special Branch Report to kill Khwaja Sharif “false and baseless” Our dearest friend, Ansar Abbasi had given the nation a eid gift on 11th September by coming up with a report “Plot to kill Justice Sharif Unearthed”. The report has been debated on LUBP the following titles: “We look forward to the follow up story to the plot to kill Justice Sharif”, The alleged Plot to kill Justice Sharif: A wishful thinking of Ansar Abassi” and “The alleged Plot to kill Justice Sharif : A wishful thinking of Ansar Abbasi —- Part 2”. Similarly, politicians and a number of people who are sick and tired of conspiracy theories of Ansar Abbasi have condemned the report having sinister motives.

In the Dawn of September 24, 2010, Zulqernain Tahir has reported on the the suspects in the plot against Justice Khwaja Sharif. The news report begins with the ISI and Punjab police terming the Special Branch report to be “false and baseless” claiming that PPP leaders had hatched a plot to assassinate Justice Sharif.

In this report PML-N’s Pervaiz Rasheed has admitted that report was leaked. Earlier on the PML-N had denied doing so. It also confirms our assertion of the nexus between the PML-N and

Ansar Abbasi and his gang. I was surprised to hear Ansar Abbasi say on September 23 rd ‘s Off the Record . He said “Meri khwahish hay kay mayn Shahbaz Sharif sahab kee government kee koi krupshion kee khabar nikaloon, par mujhay nahee miltee”. Off course, how can you see PML-N government’s corruption as PML-N is feeding you with news to become a hero!

Thinking objectively, what has been achieved with this story? Justice Sharif is well and alive and we pray for his long life. The PPP stalwarts have been alleged to be killers and a lot of time and energy was wasted to defend these allegations.

Our Media needs to grow up and elements like Ansar Abbasi need to be tamed down by their editorial boards!

Suspects in ‘plot against judge’ freed: Intelligence report

Source: Dawn, September 24, 2010 LAHORE, Sept 23: The ISI and Punjab police have found “false and baseless” a report by the special branch claiming that three PPP stalwarts had hatched a plot to assassinate Lahore High Court’s Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif.

“We have found no connection whatsoever of three PPP men with the alleged murder plot of the LHC CJ,” Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen told Dawn on Thursday.

“The contents of the special branch’s report could not be verified after a thorough investigation. There is no truth in it.

“All eight suspects arrested after their names were mentioned in the report have been set free for want of evidence against them,” he said.

Mr Tareen said the report had been submitted to the quarters concerned and security of the chief justice had been beefed up.

“The findings of the ISI also confirm those of ours,” he revealed. The report was sent to Inter-Services Intelligence agency and police for verification after its authenticity was questioned by the Pakistan People’s Party.

However, an intelligence agency official said the question now arose if the Punjab government would initiate an investigation to ascertain who was behind the preparation of the ‘fake’ document and its ‘deliberate’ leakage.

Expressing regrets over a trend of using names of security agencies for political gains, he said: “The authenticity of any future reports by the special branch will now be suspicious.” The report, which did not have the signature of any official concerned, had alleged that a federal government nominee in Punjab, a federal minister and a provincial PPP office-bearer were involved in preparing a plot to assassinate the chief justice by hiring hardened criminals.

The report was prepared on Aug 2 and given to a section of the media in September.

Talking to Dawn, Col (retd) Ehsanul Haq, who was the special branch’s chief at the time, said that neither he nor his subordinates had authored the report.

However, the Lahore police chief claimed he had admitted that he had a source report about the plot.

Governor Salmaan Taseer has alleged that the chief minister’s private secretary Tauqeer Shah had leaked the ‘unauthenticated’ report to the media.

He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif should explain whether the move to implicate PPP leaders in the conspiracy was his or his team’s idea.

PML-N spokesman Senator Pervaiz Rashid said the chief minister had forwarded the report to the ISI for verifying its authenticity.

He said Mr Shah had nothing to do with the report.

“It was leaked to the media because it was a very serious matter. Making such information public thwarts such plans,” he said. http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleText.aspx?article=24_09_2010_012_010 The alleged Plot to kill Justice Sharif: A wishful thinking of Ansar Abassi (part 1) – by Fawad Manzoor

Related articles: Part 2

Here it goes again. When I read the name of Ansar Abbasi in the papers immediately my mind runs to the story books we used to read when we were kids. Famous character in those story books was Inspector Jamshed. Those booklets always had strange story lines where out of nowhere a crime will be committed and with the great intelligence of Inspector Jamshed that crime will be solved no matter that crime is committed on the seventh sky. During our university days we are really hooked on Pink Panther movies and infamous character Inspector Clouseau. We enjoyed our free time by popping in the pink panther movie in the VCR. Inspector Clouseau was also the character of a stupid police man who without any effort would solve a crime with his nonsense knowledge and his superiors would believe him because they were sick of the destruction that used to go around him.

Ansar Abbasi is acting like Inspector Jamshed and Inspector Clouseau and again building up a nonsense theory. A news story appeared in the THE NEWS as eid gift to the gullible people of Pakistan titled “Plot to kill Justice Sharif unearthed“. It is a beautifully written story based on hypothesis and information available to the apex investigative journalist of Pakistan. Ansar gives details of the story unearthed by “Special Branch ” an Intelligence outfit run by Punjab Government. At the moment it is headed by a retired civil servant. He is working on contract. You can well imagine who gets a contract in Punjab these days.

This outfit of intelligence is sadly devoid of basic intelligence. Ansar Abbasi has no shame all his predictions in last three years have evaporated in thin air from minus one to minus two, to giving time limits to current government. I would not be surprised if someone says that Ansar Abbasi is on the take of Osama Bin Laden or Mullah Omar to write columns to promote Jihadis and believe me it will be no shock to me if someone says that Mullah Omar had plastic surgery and now he is Ansar Abbasi. You don’t have to write your columns promoting Talibans but there is another way to do it and that is to discredit the people who are fighting against such evil force.

It is pertinent to hold the Special Branch for their accomplishments in recent times. Few of the greatest achievements of the Special Branch headed by ex serviceman and ex IG working on contract are as follows: • Special Branch was given the duty to check Atta (wheat flour) smuggling, and they failed miserably • Special Branch couldn’t predict attack on Ahmedi’s worship place • Special Branch couldn’t predict attack on Data Sahib • Special Branch couldn’t predict attack on Karbala Gamay Shah • Special Branch couldn’t predict two attacks by terrorist on its own Police Head quarters at Manawa in Punjab • Special Branch couldn’t predict suicide bombers running freely in Punjab

Biggest of all the credit that goes to Special Branch is when it couldn’t tell its boss in 1999 that military is going throw you out in less than five minutes.

There are many more incidents where Special Branch sat on its rear end. But yes you should give it credit revealing plan of possible murder attempt on Lahore High Court CJ. Everybody stand and clap for excellent work done by a Special Branch. But guess what, it is only a publicity campaign by Special Branch with a view to defame federal government under the directions of Punjab Government. If it is true what do the killers gain out of it? In my opinion if anybody and especially if federal government tries to kill such a munafiq who is already going to retire soon, gains nothing except more headaches. Killing of CJ will give more fodder to the jihadi minded media and judiciary. Ansar Abbasi seems to be on the payroll of Special Branch headed by Talibanistas.

Now here is the break up of the story.

Special Branch Punjab, the leading provincial intelligence outfit, who was given task by Shahbaz to check Atta smuggling and nothing else during the golden days of Atta smuggling completely failed to do so but all of a sudden has generated a horrific report about an alleged plot prepared by some top federal figures to assassinate the Honorable Chief Justice Lahore High Court Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, it is learnt.

Three key federal authorities have been named in the report as the plotters however; this newspaper is not unveiling them because of the sensitivities involved and also for the reason that at this stage the disclosure of their names would be premature.

At the moment it would be premature to name the three federal figures involved in the murder plot but it is mature enough to report this incident to the public without any evidence.

As Ansar writes Most Immediate and “For the CM eyes only” wonder how it got to the eyes of Ansar Abbasi. This detective journalist should feature in James Bond 007. In fact he is a notch higher up than the original bond he is 008. It is plain idiotic writing by a Jamat e Islami cleric.

These criminals are also said to be trying to get released some more criminals from jail. He writes that these criminals working under a federal cell have planned to kill Khwaja Sharif in his village where he holds Khatam e Quran on last Friday of the month and has little or no security. While closing the report he thought of adding spice to the already made up hypothetical story that these criminals will get other criminal released from jail too.

“By achieving the said high profile objective, PPP will gain the following: (i) Getting rid of CJ LHC Kh Muhammad Sharif; ii) Embarrassment to government of Punjab in judiciary; iii) Discredit the PML-N government in the eyes of public, media, lawyers etc; and iv) Pave way for enforcing Governor Rule in Punjab by propagating that the government has failed to check terrorism in an effective manner.

Ansar mian is living in cukoo land. Now by killing Khawja Sharif it will be assumed that the law order in Punjab will not be so good the bigwigs will say let’s just impose Governor’s Rule. Mr. Ansar is it the game of chess that you have in mind? It is not one Khawja Sharif, there are more and when Governor’s Rule (if ever imposed) will be challenged in the Supreme Court, what will happen?

Is Ansar so out of his mind? He also says that it will be a way of discrediting PML-N in the eyes of public, Media, and lawyers. Here discrediting in the eyes of public does makes little sense but how my dear and discrediting in the eyes of Lawyers and Media that rings alarm bells. It means that PML-N honey moon with Jihadi media and lawyers is still intact.

Though the editor has failed to post my column submitted couple of days ago but I am resending it with additional twist that took place couple of days ago. Around 4:00pm there was a breaking news on all the corporate news retail outlets that the man in the middle of the storm head of Special Branch who is working on contract was held by FIA and has provided a written statement that the report in question does not bear his signature. Media retailers have failed to print or elaborate this story for last two days.

Ansar another scam story in your face.

All I can say is Ansar Abbasi should be given Pulitzer prize for biggest BS of the first 10 years of this century. CJ murder plot: Top cops tortured on Shahbaz Sharif’s instructions – by Rauf Klasra Related articles:

We look forward to the follow up story to the plot to kill Justice Sharif- by Chaudry Ahmad Khan and Ahmad Iqbalabadi

Special Branch Report to kill Khwaja Sharif “false and baseless”

The alleged Plot to kill Justice Sharif: A wishful thinking of Ansar Abassi (part 1) – by Fawad Manzoor

In what can best be seen as a return to strong-arm tactics of the Punjab government, two senior officials of the Punjab Police were forcibly picked up in midnight raids on their homes after it transpired that both of them had distanced themselves from an alleged intelligence reportthat warned of an attack on the Lahore High Court Chief Justice, Khwaja Muhammad Sharif.

Additional IG Special Branch, Colonel (retd) Ehsanur Rehman and his deputy, Shahid Mahmood, were picked up from their residences and detained in an unspecified location where they were allegedly manhandled, say sources.

Highly-placed officials say that it was this treatment that forced the two to retract their earlier statements to the FIA in which they had stated that they had no knowledge of any report into the plot to kill the Lahore High Court chief justice. Instead, they went ahead and said they had authored the report.

Sources said that during the two-day detention in a safe house of the Punjab police, both the Special Branch officers were put under pressure to make them fall in line. One source even claimed that Colonel Ehsan and Shahid Mahmood were manhandled during their custody to make them own the information report before the FIA inquiry commission. After initial resistance, both of them gave new statements in which they confirmed they had dispatched such a report to CM Punjab Mian Shabaz Sharif and to PML-N chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif. Sources have now confirmed that Colonel Ehsan, a former operative of the ISI, was posted at the Attock Fort during the detention of the Sharif brothers where he allowed them a number of concessions and favours. After the PML-N came to power, Ehsan cashed in on these favours and was appointed to the lucrative position of AIG Punjab Special Branch.

Director FIA Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, a respected officer, who was appointed to inquire into the alleged plot to kill the CJ of the Lahore High Court, in his 499-page report submitted to the Chief Justice of Pakistan on November 2, concluded that there was no evidence available to establish the authenticity of the information report issued by the Punjab government into the alleged murder plot.

Zafar Qureshi had reached this conclusion after interviewing and investigating 41 officials concerned. None of them owned the report, which was deliberately leaked to the media to create a sensation and embarrass the federal government.

Giving details as to how even two top guns of the Special Branch Punjab were subjected to serious physical pressure to make them own the report, sources claimed that even the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary was informed about the “abduction” of these two senior officers — Col Ehsan and Shahid Mahmood–in his chamber on September 19.

The CJ had called a high level meeting of government officials to discuss the report. FIA director Zafar Ahmed Qureshi who had accompanied Secretary Interior in this meeting, had brought to the notice of the CJ that two of the key witnesses, who had already recorded their statement before him and had denied sending any report to government, were forcibly picked up from their houses after police raids.

The sources said that the CJ had got angry with IG Punjab Tariq Saleem Dogar as to why had his officers not arrested Babar Sindhu, who in the news item was tipped as the ringleader of the murder plot.

Colonel Ehsan had personally approached FIA Director Zafar Ahmad Qureshi to record his statement and told him that he was facing threats, as some top guns of the Punjab government were trying to frame him, sources said. Ehsan was so frightened that he went to the official residence of Zafar Qureshi at 2 am to record his statement and disowned sending any such report to government.

As he was recording his statement, his wife made a telephone call on his mobile and in a distraught state, she told her husband that the Punjab police had raided their house and they were asking about his whereabouts. Her wife told him that policemen had even misbehaved with her and wanted to get him “at all costs.”

Col Ehsan rushed to his house from where he was taken into custody by the Punjab police. He remained in custody till he agreed give a fresh statement owning the report. DIG Mushtaq Sukhera and a CIA SP were said to have put Colonel Ehsan and Shahid Mahmood under pressure during these two days of custody and all sorts of torture methods were used, it is alleged.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2010.