Naqeebullah murder case: ‘Police pressured me into giving false statement’

Witness says he was kept in illegal detention for around 11 to 12 day

KARACHI:

A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) recorded on Tuesday the witness statements of two police officials in the Naqeebullah murder, with one of the witnesses revealing that he was "pressurised into giving a false statement to police."

Two witnesses, police officers Shehzada Jahangir and Muhammad Asif, were presented before the court by the prosecution.

While giving his statement, Jahangir revealed that when he arrived at the crime scene, the SHO present at the spot directed him to prepare the report regarding the weapons, evidence and persons killed in the encounter, and he did as directed.

"I was summoned by investigation officer (IO) SSP Abid Qaimkhani to his office on February 17, 2018, where he pressured me into giving a statement as he directed," said Jahangir, adding that the proof of his visit to Qaimkhani's office could be found in the entry made in the office's daily record register.

He further revealed that he was kept in illegal detention for around 11 to 12 days when he refused to give a false statement according to Qaimkhani's will. The witness claimed that he was released after the statement was forced out of him and he went back to his home to find four police officials permanently deputed there.

Jahangir maintained that he went to his village after some time and thought about the issue, after which he submitted his affidavit to the honorable judge of ATC number two upon his return to Karachi. He disclosed that he had stated in the affidavit that he had been forced to submit a false statement. He added that this affidavit was also a part of the judicial record of the case.

Following this, the second witness, Asif, was summoned to record his statement. Asif maintained before the court that the statement he was being associated with had not been submitted by him.

He informed the court that he was in Malir Judicial Magistrate Court number six on the day of encounter.

Former Malir SSP Rao Anwar, DSP Qamar and others accused appeared before the court. The petitioner's counsel Salahuddin Panhwar, Anwar's counsel Amir Mansoob Qureshi and Qaimkhani also appeared in the court.

The court directed the counsels in the case to cross examine the witness' statements at the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2020.