MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Qazi Siddique Ahmed, a resident of Jhelum Valley, accused Rawalakot police today, of brutality, unlawfully detaining and torturing him after his arrest on January 31, claiming he was falsely accused in a case due to a land dispute involving a police officer’s associate and has threatened self-immolation if justice is not served.
Addressing a press conference at the District Press Club in Hattian Bala, Siddique Ahmed alleged that on January 31, he was working as a labourer on the construction of his cousin’s shops in Qaziabad when he was wrongfully arrested. He claimed that his cousin’s relative, Saeed Ahmed, who is an employee at the Muzaffarabad Police Lines, used his influence to frame him in a false case due to a land dispute.
Siddique alleged that at Saeed Ahmed’s instructions, SP Rawalakot Khurram Iqbal unlawfully ordered his arrest and had him detained for 11 days without any warrant or formal charges. He claimed that he was kept in a torture cell, where he endured severe physical and psychological abuse.
He further explained that the false allegations against him were linked to the disappearance of a girl from the Rawalakot Shelter Home, a case in which he had no involvement. The girl’s father had testified to his innocence, yet the police ignored this and continued their mistreatment.
“My elderly father kept pleading for justice at the Rawalakot police station and elsewhere, but no one listened,” Siddique Ahmed said, describing his family’s distress.
He accused Saeed Ahmed of exploiting his ties with SP Khurram Iqbal to settle personal scores. According to him, Saeed Ahmed, who previously worked as SP Rawalakot’s driver, openly boasted about his influence over law enforcement, saying, “We are the law, and we will do as we please.”
Questioning the misuse of power, Siddique Ahmed demanded an explanation from the Inspector General (IG) of the Police, asking under which law an innocent citizen could be detained and tortured for 11 days without evidence or investigation.
“Has the AJK police now become a tool for personal vendettas?” he asked, expressing deep concern over police misconduct in the region.
Siddique Ahmed has appealed to the Prime Minister of AJK, the IG Police, and other senior officials to intervene and ensure justice is served. He warned that if his plea is ignored, he will set himself on fire outside the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to protest the injustice.
