IHC Raises Alarm Over Islamabad Police Investigation System
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro says investigations in four cases, including a murder case, were mishandled and warns that future deficiencies could lead to adverse observations against Islamabad Police.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday raised serious questions over the quality of investigations conducted by Islamabad Police in four criminal cases, including a murder case, and directed senior police officials to improve the department’s investigation system.
Court Questions Investigation Standards
During the proceedings, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro held an extensive exchange with a senior Islamabad Police officer who had been summoned by the court.
According to the proceedings, Justice Soomro observed that four cases had come before the court within approximately 14 days in which, after examining the available record, the court found problems with the manner in which the investigations had been handled.
“These are four cases, and the investigation has not been conducted properly in all four,” Justice Soomro remarked, according to the court proceedings shared with Islamabad Tribune.
The judge observed that courts have to decide cases on the basis of the material and record placed before them. He said deficiencies in inquiries and investigations could leave courts with little option but to grant bail where the prosecution record does not sufficiently support continued detention.
Comparison With Sindh Police
Justice Soomro also drew a comparison between investigation standards in Islamabad and Sindh Police, observing that an investigation officer in Islamabad Police could receive a salary of up to around Rs100,000, compared with around Rs40,000 in Sindh Police, yet investigations there could still be better despite the lower pay.
The judge noted that during approximately one-and-a-half years, the court had generally avoided summoning senior police officers and said it was not desirable to repeatedly call senior officials before the court.
However, he said the four cases that had recently come before the bench warranted calling a senior officer because the investigation in those matters appeared to have been mishandled.
Senior Police Officials Directed to Improve System
The court issued a warning for the future and directed the senior police officer to take steps to improve the institution’s investigation system.
Justice Soomro further warned that if similarly deficient investigations came before the court in future, he could record observations against Islamabad Police in judicial orders. He also asked that the message be conveyed to the Inspector General of Islamabad Police regarding the need to improve investigation standards.
The remarks place renewed focus on the quality of criminal investigations in the federal capital, particularly because investigative deficiencies can directly affect prosecution cases, bail proceedings and the administration of criminal justice.
Justice Soomro is currently serving on the Islamabad High Court and has previously dealt with a range of police and criminal-law matters.
Official IHC records confirm cases concerning police/FIA matters have been listed before his bench, while earlier reported proceedings also show him summoning or questioning police officials in cases involving Islamabad Police.
Note: The detailed remarks above are based on the court proceedings/tickers provided for this story. I could independently verify Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro’s position and his handling of Islamabad Police-related matters, but I did not find a published IHC order or authoritative online report containing the complete remarks from today’s hearing at the time of research.
