JIT proceedings come to a halt in Intizar murder case

Members want home dept to issue notification for formation of JIT

KARACHI: Proceedings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed in the Intizar Ahmed killing case have come to a halt as representatives of different law enforcement and intelligence agencies have said they will not continue until the JIT is notified by the home department.

The JIT was formed to investigate the killing of Intizar, a 19-year-old student who was shot dead in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on January 13 by personnel of a specialised unit of the Sindh police – the Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC).

The JIT was formed just this Thursday with Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Intelligence SSP Pervez Chandio as its head. It was formed by the CTD and includes representatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, Special Branch, Sindh Rangers and Karachi police.

This is the first time a JIT has been formed by the CTD rather than the home department, which is why its members have questioned its authenticity. On its first session on Friday, the JIT recorded the statements of those involved in the case such as the victim’s father Ishtiaq Ahmed, key eyewitness Madiha Kayani, former ACLC chief SSP Muquddus Haider whose two guards are accused of firing at Intizar and arrested ACLC cops. On Saturday, the JIT also visited the crime scene.



But the JIT members did not attend the third session on Monday. One member said they would not attend any further sessions until the home department issues a notification regarding the JIT.

Sources privy to the matter said that following the confrontation, the CTD has approached the provincial home department to notify a JIT to reinvestigate a case.

Advocate Asif, who is appearing for the victim’s family, said that he and the family have already expressed their reservations regarding the murder investigations, adding that the subordinates of the officials probing the case are misguiding their superiors.  “There are two major reservations - no legal procedure was adopted for the [formation of the] JIT and an ACLC official was appointed as an observer in the JIT,” he said. He added that the home department would issue a notification about a new JIT soon.

On January 13, Intizar was killed when ACLC personnel opened fire on his car on Khayaban-e-Ittehad in DHA. Closed-circuit television footage of the murder surfaced on Sunday, two weeks after the incident. The video shows Intizar's car being intercepted by another car from the front, while a third car and a motorcycle also approach and stop to the left of Intizar's vehicle.

Shortly after the 19-year-old's vehicle is signaled to go, it is shot at from the back, the footage revealed. The plainclothed personnel riding the second motorcycle and positioned to the right also fired shots at Intizar's vehicle in the footage.