Section 9-C: A Weapon in Police Hands

The primary responsibility of the police is to protect the lives and property of citizens, prevent crime, maintain public order and uphold the rule of law. However, when those entrusted with enforcing the law themselves face allegations of abusing their authority, demanding illegal gratification and implicating innocent citizens in criminal cases, the issue goes far beyond an individual complaint. It strikes at the very heart of public confidence in law enforcement and the credibility of the justice system. A disturbing case emerging from Gujranwala Police has raised precisely these questions, following allegations that a young man from Peshawar, Noor Alam, was detained, while his brother, Khan Azam, was allegedly asked to pay Rs25 million for his release. When the family refused to cough up the money, the police allegedly implicated Noor Alam in a narcotics case involving the purported recovery of three kilograms of hashish.

According to the aggrieved family, Noor Alam , a cancer patient and his brother, Khan Azam, are residents of City Town, Peshawar. They allege that Sub-Inspector Waqar Ali, posted at Model Town Police Station in Gujranwala, stopped Noor Alam, took him out of his vehicle and placed him under arrest. His brother was subsequently approached and allegedly asked to pay Rs25 million in exchange for his release. The family maintains that when Khan Azam refused to meet this demand, a narcotics case was registered against Noor Alam, showing the recovery of three kilograms of hashish. If these allegations are substantiated, the matter would represent not merely an abuse of police authority but a deeply troubling attempt to turn anti-narcotics legislation into an instrument of personal gain. A law designed to protect society from the menace of drugs must never be allowed to become a weapon against ordinary citizens.

An important date in this unfolding controversy is August 19, 2026, when the family approached the Lahore High Court by filing a constitutional petition. According to the petitioners, when inquiries were subsequently made with the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) about Noor Alam’s whereabouts, the response allegedly given was that he was not in police custody. However, his arrest was later shown within the jurisdiction of Wazirabad, where a case was registered against him for allegedly possessing three kilograms of hashish.

This sequence of events raises a fundamental question: if Noor Alam had initially been taken into custody in Gujranwala, why was his arrest subsequently shown to have taken place in Wazirabad? Was he genuinely apprehended there, or were the circumstances and location of his arrest allegedly altered to cover up what had happened earlier? These are not minor procedural discrepancies that can simply be brushed aside. They go to the heart of the case and must be examined through police daily diaries, CCTV footage, official movement records and mobile phone location data. The truth must be brought to light, rather than buried under contradictory official accounts.

The family has not confined its struggle to the courtroom. It has also submitted formal applications to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Inspector General of Police, Punjab, seeking a transparent and impartial inquiry. The complainants want the alleged demand for Rs25 million, Noor Alam’s detention, the subsequent appearance of his arrest in Wazirabad and the registration of the narcotics case to be investigated as part of one connected sequence of events. They have specifically called for the inquiry to be entrusted to officers who have no association with the concerned police station or the personnel allegedly involved. Such a demand is entirely reasonable. An investigation cannot inspire public confidence if it is conducted by the very officials whose conduct is under scrutiny. Justice must not only be done; it must also be seen to be done.

What makes the allegations even more disturbing is an alleged recording circulating on social media. According to the family, the recording contains a demand for Rs25 million, accompanied by a chilling threat that if the money was not paid, Noor Alam’s body would be sent back to his family in a coffin. These alleged words, if authentic, would amount to an extremely serious matter. The threat cannot simply be dismissed as an exchange of angry words. It warrants a thorough forensic examination to establish the recording’s authenticity, identify the voice and verify the circumstances in which the conversation took place. The original recording, rather than edited or circulated versions, must be secured and examined by qualified forensic experts. If its contents are verified, it could become a significant piece of evidence in determining what actually transpired.

There is another troubling dimension to this case: the alleged seizure and subsequent use of Noor Alam’s vehicle and personal belongings. The family claims that the police took possession of the vehicle by declaring it abandoned, but the same vehicle is now allegedly being used by Sub-Inspector Waqar Ali. If this claim is correct, it raises serious questions about the manner in which public officials exercise their powers and deal with property belonging to citizens.

The family further alleges that Rs18,000 in cash, along with two mobile phones kept in the vehicle’s dashboard, also remain in police custody. The authorities must explain under what legal provision these belongings were taken into possession. Was a proper seizure memo prepared? Was the cash and the other property deposited in the police malkhana? Are there official receipts and inventory records? If the vehicle and its contents were seized in connection with an investigation, the legal grounds for their confiscation and the subsequent handling of the property must be placed on record. Police custody does not confer ownership, nor does it give any officer the right to use a citizen’s belongings for personal purposes.

Equally important is the need to establish the credibility of the alleged recovery of three kilograms of hashish and the registration of the case under Section 9-C of the Control of Narcotic Substances law. The police must clarify precisely where the drugs were allegedly recovered, who was present at the time, who witnessed the recovery and how the seized substance was secured and sent for forensic analysis. The chain of custody must be established beyond question. If the recovery was genuine, the evidence should withstand independent scrutiny. But if a citizen was falsely implicated because his family refused to pay an alleged bribe, the matter would represent a grave miscarriage of justice. The law must not be allowed to become a bargaining chip in the hands of those entrusted with enforcing it.

For the Inspector General of Police, Punjab, and the Regional Police Officer (RPO), Gujranwala, this case presents an important test of institutional accountability. The allegations against Sub-Inspector Waqar Ali and the role of the concerned SHO must be examined by an independent inquiry team operating outside the jurisdiction of the police station in question. The investigation should cover the alleged recording, the constitutional petition filed before the Lahore High Court, the precise time and location of the arrest, the FIR, daily diary entries, the seizure of the vehicle and the alleged subsequent use of that vehicle. Every relevant piece of evidence must be brought together to establish an accurate sequence of events.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif should also seek a progress report on the applications submitted to her office and ensure that the complainant family is kept informed. Her government’s repeated emphasis on police reforms, accountability and public service will carry little weight if serious allegations against police personnel are allowed to fall through the cracks. A meaningful response requires more than routine departmental correspondence or an inquiry that ends with a clean chit. It requires facts, transparency and accountability.

The case of Noor Alam and his brother, Khan Azam, can no longer be brushed aside as a routine complaint against a police official. Their approach to the Lahore High Court, applications to the Chief Minister and the IGP, the alleged extortion recording, the three-kilogram narcotics case and the disputed custody of a vehicle and personal belongings collectively demand an impartial investigation. At stake is not merely the liberty of one young man or the grievances of one family; it is the credibility of an institution that is supposed to stand between citizens and injustice.

The police cannot be allowed to investigate themselves and expect unquestioning public trust. Those who wear the uniform must remember that authority is a public trust, not a licence to intimidate, exploit or silence citizens. If the allegations are false, an impartial inquiry should clear the names of those accused. If they are true, the law must take its course, regardless of rank, influence or position. Ultimately, the rule of law means little if those responsible for upholding it are permitted to stand above it.