Suo motu case: JIT’s probe into Perveen Rehman’s murder rejected

Petitioners say JIT deliberately ignoring land mafia because of vested interests of ‘influential parties’

ISLAMABAD:

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and 11 other petitioners have expressed dissatisfaction over the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) probe into murder of Orangi Pilot Project’s (OPP) former director Perveen  Rehman.

As the top court prepared to resume its suo motu case regarding the probe of Rehman’s murder case on October 1, the HRCP and others petitioners have suspected that the JIT is deliberately ignoring the land mafia because of vested interests of a wide range of ‘influential parties’.

Counsel for petitioners, Raheel Kamran Sheikh, told The Express Tribune that they would file an application tomorrow (Monday) in the Supreme Court regarding the reconstitution of the JIT, which should be headed by or comprise primarily of Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) officers.

According to the draft application – available with The Express Tribune – the petitioners have requested the apex court that findings and recommendations of the sessions Judge, Karachi West, be ordered to be considered during the investigation, particularly the possibility of involvement of the land mafia and real estate developers’ active in the areas where late Rehman was working.

“Contrary to the findings of the learned district and sessions Judge, Karachi West, the JIT has focused its investigation on the illegal hydrant mafia in Orangi and Manghopir areas of Karachi, while ignoring the land mafia and real estate developers which are operating not only in these areas but also beyond,” the draft says.

The petitioners pointed out that the JIT has failed to take into account the fact that Rehman was collaborating with the government of Sindh in identification, survey and mapping of various goths/settlements in various parts of Karachi for the purposes of their regularisation.

“Nearly 1063 goths were regularised by the government of Sindh through the efforts of Rehman, while more than 1,000 remained to be regularised,” it says, adding that when a goth/settlement is regularised it becomes difficult to evict the residents as they become lawful lessees.

“Consequently, the price of the land also increases. Both of these factors make it difficult for the land mafia and the real estate developers to grab land through forced eviction or fraudulent/coercive transactions,” it adds.

The application says residents of various goths were approaching Rehman in order to seek her assistance for the purposes of regularisation of their settlements. “Rehman had, therefore, become a symbol of resistance against the land mafia and the real estate developers,” it says.

The petitioners also note that there has been no regularisation since Rehman’s murder.

“It is essential for the JIT to investigate the officials of Sindh government well as the ruling party, who have been involved in the regularisation of the urban goths in order to ascertain as to what threats were being faced by Rehman and why was the process of regularisation halted after her death,” the application says.

The petitioner recommend that relevant officials of the Board of Revenue, government of Sindh, should also be included in the investigation to explain as to why the process of regularisation of lands is halted in spite of more than 1,000 pending applications, after her murder.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2014.