Fake Encounter: Policemen won’t be charged with terrorism

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge handed over copies of the case record to the police accused of a fake encounter in which a robbery suspect was killed. The charges will be framed on the next hearing on July 23.

The jail authorities at Monday produced DSP Riasat Bajwa, Sub Inspector Muhammad Riaz and Constables Muhammad Asif and Abdul Qadir in Muhammad Sheraz Kiani’s court. The judge dismissed the application filed earlier by the petitioner, Jahangir Butt, father of the deceased, Shahbaz Butt, who had sought the addition of Section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act to the case.

Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel Advocate Rana Muhammad Zahid told the court that Shahbaz did not have any criminal record and requested the court to add the said Section 7 arguing that a proper trial could only be conducted in an anti-terrorism court. Later, the judge on, ordered for the copies of the case to be distributed among the accused officials. The hearing was adjourned till July 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2011.