‘Fake encounter’: Court orders police to register murder case against two police officials

Family claims the killed man was innocent.

HARIPUR:

A court here on Tuesday ordered the local police to register a murder case against a Station House Officer (SHO) and an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI).

The wife of the victim filed an application accusing a police party for the murder of her husband in a “fake encounter” in Ghazi.

The Ghazi police said they received an intelligence report that two brothers, Faizan Shah and Nehmat Shah, were involved in drug peddling.

When the police party, headed by SHO Ayaz Khan, raided their house, the two brothers and their father opened fire at the police party, injuring two constables Naseer and Azmat.

When the police returned fire, Faizan Shah, 25, died on the spot while his elder brother, Nehmat Shah , was seriously wounded and taken to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad. The two constables were admitted at the District Headquarter Hospital in Haripur.

Meanwhile Subhan Shah, father of the deceased, told The Express Tribune that there was an altercation between his sons and a head constable of the Ghazi police station four days back. Even though the police did not find any drugs on two brothers, they warned them that they will “teach them a lesson”, Shah alleged. He accused the police party of shooting his sons to punish them for the exchange of harsh words.

Nadia Bibi, wife of Faizan Shah, moved an application with the court of Additional District Judge-III, Asghar Ali Khilji, under section 22-A of the PPC for registration of an FIR against the SHO and his subordinate.

She contended that her husband was shot dead by the police party, even though he did not commit any crime. The court ordered District Police Officer Haripur to register an FIR under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (punishment for murder) against the two officers who participated in the raid on July 31.

Najeeb Baghvi, Superintendent Police Headquarter, said that the police will initiate action against the SHO when they receive an official copy of the court order.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2011.