Sindh

Rangers killing: 'Youth did not commit any crime'

Seven Rangers personnel presented in Karachi court, witnesses record statements.

Sohail Khattak June 15, 2011

KARACHI: Eyewitnesses in the Rangers shooting case said on Wednesday that they had not seen the victim Sarfaraz Shah commit any crime in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto park where he was fatally shot by Rangers personnel.

These statements were made in a Karachi court before the judicial magistrate of Nadeem Badar Qazi where two eyewitnesses recorded statement 164 in the case.

The witnesses said park security official Afsar Khan had held the victim by the hair and handed him over to the Rangers personnel and Rangers officer Shahid Zafar opened fire on him. They added that the boy was apologising and begging the rangers not to shoot him and that he was not snatching the gun from them.

The rangers were presented in the court amid tight security. Lawyers chanted slogans against the Rangers outside the court building demanding that they be hanged for killing the unarmed youth.

The Rangers have now been taken to an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) where they will be sent to jail custody or on physical remand.

COMMENTS (21)

ali nawaz | 13 years ago | Reply Our society doesnt understand that, thieves like them(the boy who got shot) are not only thieves but killers too, i have been mugged once, i know how it feels, instead of blaming rangers we should support them. we should be thankful to them that they are sacrificing their lives for us.

Ali Kazmi | 13 years ago | Reply @Tanzeel, AQ khan bargained our bombs to the whole world. admitted right on the screen! lets help rangers kill him too....he was desperate as sarfaraz was! get a life man!

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Nazir Habib | 13 years ago | Reply @Shamsi Ajanee: Well asked. Yes! Very well asked. Karachiites faces remain uncovered but 'paindoos' that come from the upcountry villages are the 'biradiri' and have to remain obscured. After all they are supposed to be the superior race of people and the Karachiites are the inferiors. Salams to you my friend.

SJ | 13 years ago | Reply @Tanzeel: So your logic is ....? Even if he was stealing something, so what would be the punishment in your eyes?

AnisAqeel | 13 years ago | Reply It is sad and unfortunate event for both the family as well as the Rangers. Nobody wants to kill cold-blooded except a terrorist without any feelings and when security situation is so grave it could have happened for mistaken action. This is an incomplete video and Sarfraz is admitting some wrongdoing and instead of raising arms and lying down he is trying to hold the gun of the retreating Ranger. This itself becomes a cause to shoot and that was exactly what happened in the case of Raymond Davis when he saw two guys following and showing gun, he shot them. Karachi's situation is such that people should be coached and informed via media that in such situations be calm, raise your arms and lie down for the satisfactory security of the law enforcement agent. May his soul rest in peace and empower his loved ones to bear this loss.

AMajid | 13 years ago | Reply Salam to All, i didn't know much about the whole thing because i m just a common person, heard and see through videos.First thing if i see this thing from the side of humanity they should take him to the hospital. Second thing is that before this incident there was another incident in Karachi which was PNS Mehran , so according to me armed forces do accordingly what they told from the higher command . So why the people are blaming to the institution, we already in war which is not our war.

Zeeshan | 13 years ago | Reply If anyone thinks that rangers did the right thing; I would say that shutdown the courts and let them spread justice with their guns... 5 or 6 well trained men against one unarmed man (who's weapon, real or fake had already been taken) and still they had to shoot him???

Noman | 13 years ago | Reply Who shot fire, the faces were not clear in the picture. so whoever is presented in the court definitely not the ones who shot fires.. in the End Justice will be done and they will be punished... they will never show the faces and everyone will be set free once the chapter is closed !

Dee | 13 years ago | Reply @ Zaid: No it's relevant I believe. May be they are not the ones who shot Sarfraz.

sashayub | 13 years ago | Reply @BleedingKarachi: i'd agree with you to a certain extent....murder is murder, the family i am sure does not want to get involved in this, so are not coming out in the open.

Ziad Bashir | 13 years ago | Reply @Shamsi Ajanee: That is honestly; perhaps, the most unimportant issue on the planet.

fus | 13 years ago | Reply Sad...the comments just show the state of our minds...so sarfaraz admitted that he committed a crime, does it allow rangers to shoot him? Was there a shoot out or stand off? Beside if any one points a gun to shoot you, you will also try to push it down. Take a look at the videa again, all the other rangers were shouting to shoot him right from the beginning.

waqqas iftikhar | 13 years ago | Reply @Pakistani iam guessing trained 'soldiers' are also 'trained' to let an unarmed teenager bleed to death after shooting him.....the armed forces have been more trouble than they are worth to be honest..

Irfan | 13 years ago | Reply Okay.. make sense that he was criminal, he has toy or may be a real gun.. he was trying to snatch gun from rangers.. woh majboor tha... all fine but once he was shot in leg, he should have been taken to the hospital to save his life.. two wrong can never make right.. a common sense which lot of people does not have.. how on earth this act of ranger can be justified.. once shot, ranger should do their every efforts to save his life.. rather they let him die on the street/park/road.. So I think if boy was wrong he paid the maximum price one should can pay.. now since ranger deliberately let him die so they should be prosecute in a way that next time ranger personal should think twice or thrice to do something similar.. I would say boy was lucky that his death was recorded otherwise it was a complete win situation for rangers.. and they do it again with no shame... all 6 rangers deserve most pain full death which could be possible..

SH | 13 years ago | Reply Innocent until proven guilty...it works both ways so lets let the investigation unfold. Excessive force was used, 100%...but it's not clear whether or not he was a robber, and if he was, having just been robbed at gun point myself, i think robbers deserve a good thrashing before being arrested for the psychological harm they cause. However, even if he was a robber, the use of force was unjustified considering he could easily be controlled by the personnel present. I don't think the rangers - or their families who will be deprived of all pension and other benefits on which they are entirely dependent - should be given capital punishment though under any circumstances...Our security forces are dying every day protecting us and it sends the wrong demoralizing message to suggest that we're out to get them every chance we get!

Amir | 13 years ago | Reply Anti Terrorist in Terrorist court. wow

Tanzeel | 13 years ago | Reply Then why the Sarafaraz was admitting his mistake and saying in video "Main Majboor Tha"?

Rana | 13 years ago | Reply Would this act of rangers be justified if he might be a criminal? He was unarmed surrounded by 5 to 6 fully armed rangers. They can easily put him down and handcuff him. A cold blooded murder! n that’s all.

Shamsi Ajanee | 13 years ago | Reply Tell me why do the cover the faces.Please explain the logic?

BleedingKarachi | 13 years ago | Reply LOLzzzzzzz.......... "Eyewitnesses in the Rangers shooting case said on Wednesday that they had not seen the victim Sarfaraz Shah commit any crime in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto park where he was fatally shot by Rangers personnel." The guy himself was saying, he had toy gun and he was "majboor". But I dont know where is that family who was looted? why they are not coming forward? I am only criticizing Eyewitnesses. this doesn't mean that Rangers were right in this act.

Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply The magnificent ANTI-TERRORISM court never sentenced a terrorist to a punishment, but they are taken for anti-terrorist trials. What a shame for us, though their mistake is evident but the foreplay was never filmed that might have had something to what we saw in the footage. For a trained soldier when he says lay down and the suspect doesnt, after the boy touched the gun it was very clear he would get shot and so did he.

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