Videos of Pakistan Army 'torturing' Punjab province policemen trigger outrage

Lahore: Videos of Pakistan Army personnel allegedly torturing policemen from the Punjab province have sparked a massive outrage on social media even as police brass sought to downplay the incident.

Multiple video clips of the high-octane drama surfaced late on Wednesday that showed the army officers allegedly assaulting and beating up policemen on Monday in Bahawalnagar, some 400 kms from here.

In one clip, the cops in uniform were made to sit on the ground on their knees by the army men. Two cops, being brutally tortured, were seen pleading before the army men to spare them.

In another clip, two young uniformed cops were seen running to escape being caught by the army personnel but are ultimately caught.

According to sources, “Three civilians were illegally detained and the Punjab police personnel were demanding money for their release.”

“The policemen also raided the residence of an army officer to arrest an accomplice of the trio. This piqued some army personnel who raided the Madrassa police station at Bahawalnagar to free those three persons. During that raid, the policemen were tortured,” a senior police officer told PTI on Thursday.

Following the incident, four policemen – SHO Abbas Rizwan, Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Iqbal and Ali Raza -- (who were allegedly tortured) were suspended and arrested under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code for illegally detaining three persons and demanding money from them.

The Punjab police, in a statement, said: “This matter in Bahawalnagar, which went viral on social media, has been taken out of context and exaggerated. Fake propaganda is being made on social media.”

The episode is being presented in a way to imply that there has been fighting between the Pakistan Army and Punjab Police, the statement said, adding, “When the unverified videos went viral, both institutions launched a joint investigation. Officers from both institutions reviewed the facts and peacefully resolved the matter.”

“Punjab Police and the Pakistan Army are cooperating to eliminate terrorists, miscreants and criminals from the province. We request that social media users do not spread fake propaganda,” the statement said.

The injured policemen were taken to hospital where their medico-legal examination was not allowed, sources said.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar asked Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar to resign after the humiliating incident.