Extrajudicial killing: Rangers’ men to be tried under anti-terror law

All six men, seen in the video, have been handed over to the police.

KARACHI:

The police included a section of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA) against the Rangers personnel involved in the killing of a youth in Karachi’s Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park on Wednesday.

The suspects would be produced before the anti-terrorism court for physical remand on Monday. The police included Section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) related to murder in the initial first information report (FIR) registered by the victim Sarfaraz Shah’s brother against Rangers personnel involved in the extrajudicial killing.

Section 7 of the ATA was subsequently added to the FIR on the orders of Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, all six Rangers personnel seen in the video footage of Shah’s murder have been handed over to the police and their arms, ammunition and vehicles confiscated.

Initially, Rangers handed over the two men, Shahid Zafar and Mohammad Afzal, to the police, who were brought to court on Friday and are in police custody on physical remand.

Later, four more Rangers’ men, including Sub-Inspector Bahadur Rehman, driver Minthar Ali and Liaquat Ali and Mohammad Tariq, were handed over to a police team headed by SSP (Investigation) Latif Siddiqi late on Saturday night.

The police, on Saturday, also detained a man named Afsar  Khan who was seen in the video handing over Shah to Rangers personnel in the park.

East Zone II (Investigations) SSP Niaz Khoso confirmed the imposition of Section 7 of the ATA in the FIR against the suspects involved in Shah’s killing.

All six Rangers personnel, and Afsar Khan, will be tried in anti-terrorism court, Khoso said while talking to The Express Tribune.

A case would also be registered against Khan for registering a fake FIR against Shah, he said, adding that police is trying to trace the whereabouts of Khan’s friend Alam Zaib, said to be a CID staffer, and his wife, who purportedly witnessed the killing.

Khoso declined to share any other information at this time.

Later, Shah’s family arrived at Boat Basin police station to record more statements.

Khoso later said that five statements, including those of family members and park management, have been recorded, but appealed to people to come forward and record their statements if they have any further information in the case.

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