Perween Rehman murder case: Police get remand of ‘prime suspect’ till May 20

KARACHI: The anti-terrorism court's administrative judge remanded on Monday a 'prime suspect' allegedly involved in the murder of Orangi Pilot Project director, Perween Rehman.

Rahim Swati was arrested on May 7 after a shootout with law enforcers in Sultanabad area of the city. According to police, his arrest was as a major breakthrough in the case after an investigation of over a year.

Rahim and two others, Ayaz Swati and Amjad Afridi, were shown as absconding suspects in the final charge-sheet of the case filed in October last year. Rehman was shot dead in a targeted attack in March 2013.

The said persons were implicated in the case on the revelations of the two arrested suspects, Imran Swati and Ahmed Khan alias Pappu Kashmiri.

The police maintain that Imran had disclosed Rahim's involvement, who also has ties with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Imran, during interrogation, reportedly revealed that Rahim along with his brother-in-law, Shaldar, and others carried out the killing. He also confessed that he was part of the meeting in which the murder was planned, according to the police.

Though the police took Rahim's remand in another case pertaining to possession of illicit weapons and explosives, they informed the judge that he was being interrogated in the Perween Rehman murder case as well for already being charged in it in absentia.

Contrary to earlier claims of a banned outfit's involvement in the high-profile killing, this time police have maintained that the killing was motivated by politically-backed land grabbers. Rahim is said to be a former local leader of the Awami National Party and his involvement is said to be in the background of a conflict over establishment of an illegal water hydrant in Orangi Town.

For interrogation, the judge sent Rahim into police custody on physical remand till May 20 and directed the investigating officer to submit a progress report on the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2016.