Top official sacked for allowing JuD to collect animal hides

lahore — A top officer of Pakistan’s Punjab government has been sacked for allowing the the party of Hafiz Saeed, the chief of Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD) to collect hides of sacrificial animals despite a ban.

Deputy Commissioner Toba Tek Singh Asim Sapra has been sacked from his post after an inquiry team constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif found him guilty of issuing NoC to the JuD to collect the sacrificial hides during Eid days in the district which is 200 kilometre from Lahore.

The Punjab Home Department had issued an order directing police to stop banned religious organisations including JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat (FIF) of Saeed and Maulana Massod Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammad from collecting hides during Eid days early this month.

“DC Asim Sapra had allegedly issued NoC to the JuD to collect hides without observing that there had been an official ban on it (to collect hides during Eid days),” a Punjab government official told on Sunday on anonymity.

He said Sapra was given a chance to defend himself before the inquiry committee but he failed to justify his act.

He said the government received a complaint against Sapra that he issued NoC to the JuD for collection of hides showing that he is a “JuD sympathiser” and facilitated it in the district which was under his control.

“Sapra told the inquiry team that he inadvertently issued the NoC to JuD as he overlooked the order of the home department in this regard,” the official said, adding the chief minister has sacked Sapra in the light of the findings of the inquiry team. — PTI