Unclear motives: FUUAST student killed in encounter

KARACHI:

The Pakhtoon Student Federation (PkSF) general secretary of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) was gunned down in an alleged encounter with a police constable on Wednesday.

The incident took place outside the Chase departmental store at PIB Colony where a police official, Mirza Hussain Baig, deputed at the store allegedly opened fire at 24-year-old Asmat Ali and killed him on the spot. Baig was later arrested on the complaint of a PkSF member.

Ali, who hailed from Swat, lived at the Micasa apartments near Hassan Square and was a BBA student.

The FUUAST PkSF president, Fida Hussain Kakar, claimed that Baig killed Ali after an exchange of hot words and later tried to change the nature of the incident by accusing the deceased and his companion, Faisal, of demanding extortion money.

Reportedly, Rangers also arrived at the scene and apprehended Faisal.

Following the incident, the PkSF activists along with Ali’s body, staged a protest outside the Zone East DIG office and demanded the arrest of the policeman allegedly responsible for the killing. They also demanded for the suspension of SHO Nusrat Hussain Sheikh.

The PkSF activist, Shamsher Khan, registered an FIR against Baig after which the police officer was arrested and an inquiry team was formed to investigate the incident.

ASI Rana Ajmal said that the initial investigation suggested that both PkSF activists arrived at the department store for collection of extortion money but nothing could be said for certain till the inquiry was complete.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2012.