Man shoots and injures son’s ‘murderer’ in court

Kifayatullah surrendered to the police, saying he had avenged Ali’s death

A man shot and injured the accused in his son's murder case in the waiting area outside the Malir District Court on Monday.

According to Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur, Khushdil was under trial for murdering 19-year-old Ahsan Ali in 2016. He added that the accused was likely to be acquitted by the court due to the lack of evidence against him. As a result, contended the SSP, Ali's father, Kifayatullah, arrived from Swabi and shot Khushdil before the hearing on Monday.

The verdict for the murder case was to be announced in the hearing on the day.

Khushdil, who was shot thrice in the face and chest, was critically wounded and rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment, whereas Kifayatullah voluntarily surrendered before the police, he added.

A large police contingent arrived on the spot after being informed about the shooting, cordoning of the district court's premises.

According to the police, Kifayatullah had stated in his initial statement that he had avenged his son's murder. He is undergoing further interrogation.

Meanwhile, talking to the media, Malir Bar Association president Barrister Fayyaz Soomro expressed concern that such a shocking incident could occur on court premises. "Courts are sensitive locations and the presence of an armed man [on court premises] is alarming," he asserted.

He added that Monday's incident was not the first time when an armed man had managed to enter the Malir District Court, which, he said, was evidence of the substandard security arrangements and the absence of communication among the law enforcement agencies.

Later, the additional district and sessions judge sought a report from the Malir district jail superintendent about the incident at the next hearing, and adjourned the hearing until December 18.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2020.