Ongoing investigation: Court rejects plea to try policemen for terrorism in fake encounter case

KARACHI:

A sessions’ court rejected on Monday the appeal of the father of a 17-year-old boy, whom the police had allegedly killed in a fake encounter, for trial of the officers under the anti-terror law.

Former station house officer of Sachal Ismail Lashari, assistant sub-inspectors Mukhtiar Mangi and Khalid Bhatti and constable Shabbir Khoso were booked for allegedly killing Anisur Rehman Soomro in a fake shootout by labelling him a ‘militant’ in June 2014.

Anis, a student of class 10, was arrested along with his two friends by the Sachal Goth police near Safoora Goth in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on June 12, 2014. His family alleged that then SHO Lashari had demanded Rs0.5 million bribe for the release of Anis, but later killed him in a ‘fake encounter’ as the family could not fulfill their demand. Ever since, the victim’s father has been waging a legal battle against the police officials. On Monday, the victim’s father, Anwar Ali Soomro, filed an application, arguing that offence committed by the cops had terrorised the society, which comes within the ambit of Section 6 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997

Malir additional district sessions judge, Shafi Muhammad Pirzada, turned down the request. Anwar pleaded to the court to transfer the case to an anti-terrorism court for trial.

On the other hand, the lawyer defending the police officers opposed the plea, arguing that the incident does not fall within the relevant section of the said law. After arguments from both the sides, the judge turned down request and fixed case hearing in the first week of April to indict the suspects.

Case history

On the directives of the Sindh High Court, Sachal police had registered a case on the charges of murder and common intention under the Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code against the police officials.

Lashari had also appealed against the high court’s decision before the Supreme Court, which had also taken serious exception to the attempts by the suspects to influence murder inquiry against them and had ordered free and fair probe into the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2016.