Protecting their own? Police yet to arrest key suspects in brothers’ killing

PTI chief visits bereaved family, blames Sharif brothers for politicising police


Our Correspondent June 08, 2015
PTI chief visits bereaved family, blames Sharif brothers for politicising police

RAWALPINDI:


Police are yet to arrest two of their colleagues who are main suspects in the killing of two brothers in Rawalpindi on Saturday night.


The two brothers, Shakeel Butt and Zeeshan Butt, were allegedly shot dead by a police squad after they failed to stop their motorcycle when told to do so on Sixth Road late Saturday night. Both were local residents and worked in a meat shop.

Rawalpindi police spokesperson Imran Haider on Sunday told The Express Tribune that four officials — ASI Ashraf, constables Zaheer, Zubair and Uzair — had been booked on charges of killing the unarmed brothers.



The spokesperson had said Ashraf and Zaheer had been arrested while the other cops are on the run, adding that police was conducting raids for their arrest. He said Uzair and Zubair were the key suspects as, according to the arrested policemen, they were the ones who pulled the trigger.

Police also failed to produce the two arrested suspects before the court on Monday since their arrest had not been officially registered yet.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday visited the bereaved family, where he blamed the federal and Punjab governments for what he called “politicising the Punjab Police and giving it a licence to kill”.



Khan said Punjab Police were acting with impunity and without fear of accountability. “Thousands of recruitments have been made in the police on political basis,” he said and held the PML-N responsible. “Police stations have become the most insecure places where people avoid going to,” he said.

Khan said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had politicised and destroyed the police department, quoting a report by a former IGP Abbas Khan submitted to the Lahore High Court.

PTI chairman said this was also evident from the fact that no police officer was arrested and punished for the death of 14 workers of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek during their clash with the police in Lahore in June 2014.

“All of them have been given a clean chit by the judicial commission, while Rana Sanuallah has also been restored to his portfolio in the provincial cabinet,” Khan said.

He condemned the killing of the two young men and demanded justice for the family.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2015.

COMMENTS (1)

F Khan | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistani police was politicalised much before NS became the CM of Punjab.
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