PM assures justice in Satti case

Rashid discusses inquiry report with victim’s family

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday assured the family of slain Osama Satti of justice, as the victim’s father called on him here.

Osama Nadeem Satti, a resident of G-13 Islamabad, was allegedly shot dead by personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the wee hours, claiming that they were chasing some robbers.

The prime minister prayed for peace of the departed soul and strength to the victim’s family to bear the loss. He also expressed grief over the incident and assured the provision of justice to the victim’s family.

The incident was also discussed during the federal cabinet’s meeting on Tuesday wherein the prime minister expressed his “strong displeasure and annoyance” over the killing of the youngster by the police. The premier was told that the Joint Investigation Committee formed to investigate the killing of Osama Satti had presented its report to the interior secretary. However, the prime minister expressed the resolve that a new probe would be arranged if family members of the deceased youth were not satisfied with JIT’s findings.

Earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed made a phone call to the father of Osama and discussed the inquiry report into the murder of his son. The minister said the report would be forwarded to the next channels if the heirs of the deceased were satisfied with it.

He added that PM Imran and the cabinet have decided to satisfy the father of Osama and to investigate the matter after his trust in the process. The inquiry may be conducted by a judge of high court if asked by the father of Osama Satti and the letter would be written to the law ministry, Rashid added.

The minister said, “Satisfaction of Osama’s father and his family is crucial to further proceed into the case as the government is committed to ensuring fair and transparent investigation.”

Judicial inquiry report details

The judicial inquiry report into Osama Satti’s murder revealed that the youngster was not involved in any robbery and it was confirmed that he was shot 22 times despite his car being stationary. The report of the murder case was released to the media on Wednesday and proves the criminal negligence of the five shooters involved, terming them devoid of any humanity.

The report reveals that Osama’s family was kept unaware of the murder for four hours while the officers present at the scene tried to cover up the murder and make it appear as a robbery. It maintained that Osama was not involved in any criminal activity on the night of the incident and that the duty officer acted irresponsibly.

The report further stated that the youngster was shot by not one, but four or more shooters, saying that the ATS shooters were “trigger happy, went overboard, and killed Osama Satti with common intention while he was unarmed”. In total, 22 shots were fired at the car but 18 empty cartridges were sent for forensics that too 72 hours later, it added.

Moreover, the Rescue 1122 vehicle used to rescue the victim was being fed the incorrect location by 15 control officer while Osama’s body lay on the roadside, indicating that the perpetrators waited for Osama to pass away, the report claimed, adding that the rescue vehicle was later sent back as if nothing had happened.

The officers present post-incident were also found trying to destroy evidence at the crime scene while no picture or video of the crime scene was taken by them either.

With additional input by agencies

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2021.