Sarfraz Shah murder case: DDO Parks says accused Afsar Khan collected parking fee illegally

Medico-legal officer says victim had one fracture from a firearm injury.

KARACHI:

Afsar Khan, the man who allegedly handed Sarfraz Shah to the Rangers, was illegally collecting a parking fee at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park where the young Shah was shot dead on June 8.

This testimony was provided by the Deputy District Officer (DDO) of Parks, Abdul Rasheed, who appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court (I) on Tuesday as a prosecution witness.

He said that he was asked by his superior officers to go to the park as a private television channel was shooting a talk show to which some provincial minister had been invited. He had the park cleaned and was taking a round in the official car when at around 4:15 pm he saw a person in “white clothes” dragging a man in shirt and jeans.

In the meantime, a Rangers squad appeared and six men alighted from it in haste. They encircled the man and one of them fired at him. “I lost my senses and as soon as I recovered, feeling terrorised I left the place and went home,” he said. He was called by the investigating team and his statement was recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC. He appeared before a magistrate and gave the same statement. He then identified the accused before the ATC I presided over by Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso.

To a question from Afsar Khan’s lawyer, the DDO told the court that he lodged a complaint with his superiors about Afsar Khan illegally collecting a parking fee. But he did not inform the police as it was a matter to be dealt with by his officers.

He refused a suggestion by the defence that on that day, he had heard a conversation between Afsar and Sarfraz Shah regarding the pistol being a toy and that Shah had been compelled by life circumstances to hold people up for which he sought an apology.

Earlier, Jinnah hospital Medico Legal Officer Dr Ayaz Memon testified before the court. In his examination in chief conducted by Special Public Prosecutor Muhammad Khan Buriro, he said that a young man was brought to the hospital by a Chippa volunteer Muhammad Saleem. The man was criticially injured. “I saw his wounds and after initial treatment referred him to the Chief Medical Officer for further treatment but he died.” The MLO report was then made and the cause of death was mentioned in it. “I also sealed the bloodstained clothes of the deceased and handed them over to a police officer for chemical examination,” he deposed.

To a question during cross examination by Aamir Warraich advocate, counsel for accused Afsar Khan, the MLO stated that one of Shah’s bones was fractured by a firearm injury. He rejected the suggestion that several bones were fractured as he was kicked and punched.

The last prosecution witness to depose before the bench was SI Nasrullah of Boat Basin Basin who testified about sending Shah’s clothes for chemical examination and the arms used in the incident for a ballistics test.

The court put off the proceedings till Wednesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2011.