Pakistan

Kharotabad killing: Key witness says he was intimidated into lying

Driver accompanying the slain foreigners retracts statement, says they were unarmed.

Shahzad Baloch June 13, 2011

QUETTA:

A key witness of the killing of five foreigners by security forces in Kharotabad said the police had threatened him to issue a false statement saying the two men and three women were armed.

Retracting his former statement, the driver accompanying the foreigners killed said the dead were unarmed and possessed nothing but books, clothes and shampoo.

Talking to journalists on Sunday, driver Ata Mohammad said: “I lied under duress that the foreigners were carrying hand grenades. The police threatened me with dire consequences.”

“We were on our way when some police officials intercepted us near the Khezi checkpoint for a search,” said Mohammad. After searching their belongings, the police found nothing except for shampoo bottles, clothes and books, he said. “I was sitting at the checkpoint and an official came to me and said the foreigners are suspicious and took them to the police station. We were on our way when a noisy quarrel broke out and I heard a voice
saying Allah o Akbar and then a police official said “stop the vehicle”. We stepped out and the foreigners tried to run away, the officer fired two bullets in the air and asked them to stop, but they avoided the call and kept running,” he said.

He said the police were chasing the foreigners when they entered a street. There was no sound of an explosion nor did I see any explosives, hand grenades or weapons with the foreigners, he said. “I gave a false statement on May 17, but I did not lie before the judicial tribunal,” he added.

At the tribunal hearing, Muhammad had said he did not see any grenade and explosives with the people, but told the tribunal that he was not facing any pressure from the police.

The person who booked the van from Kuchlak is still missing and no efforts have been made to trace him.

The bodies of Olga, a Russian national, and her Tajik husband Nauman were buried at Jabar Noorul Quran graveyard in Quetta. Nauman’s father attended the funeral prayers. Olga was seven months pregnant when she was shot dead by the security forces.

The other three foreigners killed have not been identified as yet and their bodies are still at the morgue at the Bolan Medical Complex.

Five foreigners, three women and two men, were gunned down on May 17, by the Frontier Corps (FC) and police near an FC picket on International Highway in the Kharotabad area, a suburb of Quetta. The police had alleged that the five were wearing suicide jackets and possessed explosives. An FC official was also killed in the incident.

However, the bomb disposal squad and post-mortem reports revealed that the suspects were neither wearing suicide jackets, nor possessed explosive material at the time of the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (12)

Mark | 13 years ago | Reply @Hassan Farooqi: I suppose I should not have used such a broad generalization. I complain when people do that, myself. I can only speak with full certainty of is America. The world as a whole can be a pretty nasty place. Your examples are valid except for the Mexican one. People complain about them but, they don't get harmed. Worldwide it could maybe be justified due to border security views. But, though they do have the potential, they reject handling it that way. But, when it comes to America and border crossing it's extremely hard to justify harming anyone trying to cross over. The way the country was created is always an aspect of that judgment. It's hard to turn them away at all in good conscience, let alone hurt them.

Hassan Farooqi | 13 years ago | Reply @Mark. If you are a Palestinian trying to get back to your home when the Israelies have taken over your homes and kicked you out, you will be shot, your wife will be shot, and your infant baby will be shot. All in cold blood by IDF. If you are a Mexican trying to sneak in for a below minimum wage job, and a Minuteman spots you, you will be shot. If you are a Kashmiri sneaking in Indian occupied area to join your divided family, you will be shot by BSF.

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Hassan Farooqi | 13 years ago | Reply These people are clearly identified by respective countries as Tajiks and Russians, so why are they portrayed as Chechens? Simply because we have ultimately sympathy with Chechens and ultimate hatred against Russians/

riaz | 13 years ago | Reply What the second generation of Pakistani origin living in U.K think of pakistan, especially the policeand army. We will never invest in THAT country which treats the poor like animals!!. Your cowardly army killed defenceless chechens at a border checkpoint, my Muslim brothers and sisters !!!!. (See Utube) which i have also personally distributed around to the Pakistani community in the U.K and Europe. Your government played a two way game in gaining 20 billion from America by lies, lies and lies and i pray that you and your country get your just deserts from the Taliban. To Hell with Pakistan, I hope the country gets invaded by India, Lanat to Pakistan Army, only capable of killing there own people- What happened in Karachi (See UTUBE). Member of stop the investment in Pakistan Until they put there house in order!.

Mark | 13 years ago | Reply @Waqas: No it will not get you shot everywhere. Stop talking for countries you now nothing about. There are more ways to stop people than to kill them and most actually use them.

Waqas | 13 years ago | Reply Question is why didnt they stop and kept running from the police? If you're stopped by the police anywhere, even in US, and you start running away from an officer of law, it is bound to get you shot.... The entered the country illegally and most probably tried to bribe the police to enter Pakistan, its all a fishy story!

SJM | 13 years ago | Reply would somebody try to explain what the chechens or more clearly the russians doing in Quetta??? no person in their sane minds would go to Quetta for a visit unless or until they have some family or business there...its a dangerous place, then what in the hell were these people doing in Quetta? were they there for sightseeing???

abdul nasir saggu | 13 years ago | Reply law enforcing agencies civil or otherwise needs major overhauling

Ahmer Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.This is not new because police have been misusing their powers and authorities in Pakistan most under the pressure of bureaucrats and corrupt leaders even for the killings of innocent people any where in Pakistan and after conducting inquiry commission by the pressure of leaders the real facts and files always have been disappeared.Police is being misused by the corrupt leaders,bureaucrats and politicians and even by some of corrupt police officers and for this purpose all kind of illicit resources are used mostly furtively and before the nation it is declared hypocritically that police is working in Pakistan freely,fairly,honestly and sincerely.

Raihan Maimon | 13 years ago | Reply It was all police's fault. They pointed out to the FC troops that the people coming towards them were armed and were terrorists, which is why FC had to shoot at them. Its what comes with such conditions across the country. It was mere coincidental for FC, whereas the Policeman who pointed at them being terrorists is the one guilty for their deaths!

khan lehri | 13 years ago | Reply false statements and attempts to hush up the reality by police and fc personnels involved in the brutal killing of five innocent,unarmed foreigners could not manipulate the situation in their favour.it was indeed an act of extra judicial killing and misuse of power.from higher officials to lower subordinates all gave up false statements to hide their blunder but the reality has been exposed.all culprits should be prosecuted by the judiciary to set an example of justice.

Hassan | 13 years ago | Reply You could see that was the case from 5000 miles away, Pak sapays probaly asked for bribes and when they were not forthcoming they took action, who kills unarmed women and children ? Refer to the story of Kerbala and you will get your answer.

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