Journalist Iqrar-ul-Hassan assaulted by Hyderabad police

KARACHI: Renowned broadcast journalist Iqrar-ul-Hasan said he has forgiven the policemen who tortured him and will remove those clauses from a case lodged against them.

In a message on Eid, Iqrar said he was forgiving the policemen for assaulting him but they will not take back the case for taking bribes over smuggling banned substances. He said they have sufficient evidence against the policemen which they have given to the police and will broadcast them on air.

The host of the popular show ‘Sar-e-Aam’ was assaulted by police officers in Hyderabad during a sting operation who were allegedly offering protection to criminals. Station House Officer (SHO) Hatri police station Farooq Rao and the sub-inspector (SI) thrashed Iqrar and attempted to confine him inside a room.

Iqrar along with his team reached the police station to expose the police officers who were caught taking bribe from gutka and mainpuri sellers and allowing them to distribute the banned substances.

In the footage shared by the TV host, the police officer was seen slapping Iqrar inside the police station, whereas another official was threatening members of his team.

Iqrarul Hassan said that such tactics were always used by the culprits when their wrongdoings were exposed. He said his team showed patience and did not retaliate despite being tortured and threatened by the police officials.

He said the policemen took bribes of Rs50,000 on a daily basis for allowing the dealers of gutka and mainpuri to ply their vehicles within the vicinity of the police station. They received cheques worth Rs1.5 million in advance from the dealers for a one-month deal to transport the substances to other cities of Sindh.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had taken notice of the incident and sought details from the Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Hyderabad.