SC forms committee to probe killing of ten-year-old Amal

Police need adequate training in usage of firearms, says minor's mother


Our Correspondent September 25, 2018
10-year-old Amal. PHOTO: EXPRESS

The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a special committee to probe the killing of a ten-year-old Amal after an 'encounter' between police and criminals in the Gizri area of the port city last month.

The committee will investigate the incident and fix responsibility for the minor's death in addition to suggesting amendments to police training and laws that could better the existing system.

The directives to form the committee were passed by a three-member bench in the apex court after Chief Justice Saqib Nisar took suo motu of the incident.

 

Aymal killed by police fire, says Karachi District South DIG

The committee will consist of the advocate general of Sindh, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, former attorney general Latif Khosa and others.

During the hearing, Amal's mother, Beenish Umer, narrated the incident to the bench. Terming it a tragic incident, the chief justice said police's behaviour in the matter is intolerable.

Expressing displeasure over the absence of the hospital's representative, where Amal was admitted following the incident, Justice Nisar asked, "Should such hospitals be allowed to continue to function that did not even do their basic medical duty?"

 

Adding that the police can not be relied upon to carry out a proper investigation in the case, Justice Nisar hinted at asking the Intelligence Bureau for assistance in the investigation.

Amal's mother, addressing the media outside of the apex court, said the police need adequate training on usage of arms to ensure such incidents do not occur again.

She elaborated that she was not questioning the use of arms, but the way they are being used by law enforcers. "The only question we raise is of the lack of training and assessment. How was a weapon used in the middle of a crowded street is a question that the police need to answer. The security forces need to bring change and improvement within themselves."

On August 19, in a startling about-face from his claims made three days earlier, District South DIG Javed Alam Odho said the ten-year-old was killed by police fire.

Justice for Amal

A day after the incident, Odho had told The Express Tribune that “according to the forensics report, the fatal bullet was fired from the suspects’ pistol”, adding that the prime suspect has been killed by the police while two others had fled the crime scene.

However, Odho later revealed that two policemen were detained for their involvement in the killing of the minor girl on the eve of the 71st Independence Day of Pakistan.

The same day, District Zone SSP Omar Shahid Hamid had claimed that Amal was shot dead by robbers near Gizri, after which one of the robbers was killed by the police when they were attempting to rob another citizen on Korangi Road. It had later emerged that the minor was killed in crossfire between the law enforcers and robbers.

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