Osama’s murder shocks twin cities

Family, friends protest on Srinagar Highway; social media rife with condemnation

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD:

The murder of Osama Sati, a 22-year old student, by rogue cops of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) left the people of twin cities feeling more insecure. The killing of a youth in a totally ubcalled for encounter drew widespread indignation on social media while#JusticeForUsamaNadeemSatti remained top trend on micro-blogging site Twitter.

The friends and family of Osama held a protest on Highway blocking the main thoroughfare for hours. They moved after they got the news about the arrest of policemen nominated in the FIR.

The funeral prayer of Osama Satti, son of a Rawalpindi-based trader Nadeem Younus Satti, who was shot dead by Islamabad police was offered on Saturday.

The funeral was attended by hundreds of traders and citizens of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi including Markazi Anjuman Tajiran President Muhammad Kashif Chaudhary.

Chaudhry strongly condemned the senseless killing of an unarmed citizen by Islamabad police and declared the incident as state terrorism.

Chaudhary said that Islamabad police have set the worst example of deliberate shooting by spraying an innocent citizen with bullets. He added that such ac was intolerable. “The killing of Osama should be investigated to bring to light the truth behind the killing”.

He further said that a case under the Terrorism Act should be registered against the personnel involved in this act of terrorism.

The city’s administration should arrest the policemen involved in the incident and bring them to justice so that no one would dare to shoot at unarmed civilians in power of uniform in the future.

Chaudhry expressed that the incident had made the citizens and business community of the federal capital to become insecure and thus called for immediate suspension of Islamabad police’s IG and SSP.

Earlier, the victim's relatives had also blocked Kashmir Highway after putting the victim’s body on the road to protest against the incident and chanted slogans against the police and the administration.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari Saturday said the killing of an innocent youth by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) was a shocking tragedy.

"Such a murderous action by police is unacceptable under any circumstances," the minister stated in a tweet. "Police guilty of this murder have been arrested but an innocent, unarmed youth lost his life." The citizens need to feel protected by police rather fearful of the department, she added.

Jamat-e-Islami said in a Twitter statement: A student was Shot Dead yesterday by the ATF in the National Capital Islamabad. IJT strongly condemns this barbaric murder of Usama Nadeem Satti and demand an immediate investigation against the murderers and justice for the deceased.”

A twitterati, Asad Ali Toor, said on Twitter: “What a tragedy, Usma was an activist of ruling PTI.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2021.