Praising the Express News and Khanzada for the interview, the CJ asked what had stopped the police from doing the same.
A manhunt stretching from the capital in Islamabad to a village in Matiari is underway as the Supreme Court has given the Sindh police 24 hours to arrest two young men accused of murdering the 20-year-old son of a police officer.
Key suspects Nawab Siraj Talpur and Shahrukh Jatoi are accused of gunning down Shahzeb Khan in Karachi’s Defence locality on December 25, 2012, following a quarrel.
On Friday, SSP Pir Farid Jan Sarhindi confirmed four people were detained after raids on residences in Hyderabad’s Qasimabad, Citizen Colony and Tando Jam neighbourhoods. Nawab Siraj Talpur was not found but police sources said two of his step-brothers – Sadruddin and Sohrab – were. One of his uncles was picked up in a raid on Tajpur village, Matiari. Their farm house in Kohsar was also visited by the police.
A family cook was reportedly detained in a raid on Sikander Jatoi’s Sector F-10-4 residence led by Karachi SSP Faizullah Karejo with the Islamabad police. The SSP said Sikander and Shahrukh managed to escape.
In Karachi, DSP Wasim Khawaja went to Sikander Jatoi’s residences off Khayaban-e-Janbaz, his second wife’s residence off Khayaban-e-Ittehad and his guesthouse off Khayaban-e-Shamsheer. TVs blinking on standby, glowing stoves and rotating fans suggested that the occupants had left in a hurry, raising suspicion they had been tipped off. The police casually loitered around the houses telling each other to push open a door or smash a window.
Sources said that there was a strong likelihood that the men had fled to Quetta and Lahore. Their options are limited though as the Supreme Court ordered for their assets and bank accounts to be frozen, and their passports cancelled. Anyone found aiding or abetting them risks obstruction of justice charges.
Time is running out for the police and the suspects as the three-judge bench hearing the suo motu case was not happy there were no arrests even 10 days after the killing. “You had been asked to arrest the killers and present them before the court five days ago… but there has been no progress,” noted Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Friday.
To make matters worse, the Sindh police chief or inspector general (IG) failed to show up for the maiden hearing. CJ Chaudhry expressed his belief that the IG was deliberately avoiding the proceedings, prompting the additional IG, who appeared on his behalf, to defend his boss.
The additional IG told the court that the IG was unable to come to Islamabad on Thursday as he was busy monitoring the security for the Chehlum throughout the province. He was scheduled to fly to Islamabad on Friday but the flights were cancelled because of the fog.
This did not satisfy the judges and the additional IG was told to appear “without his uniform” if the police failed to do the job. “Apprehend the murderers within 24 hours or be prepared to relinquish your positions,” the CJP warned. And as for the IG, the CJ said he should either come on a rocket or “paidal” (by foot), but he should be in his courtroom come January 7.
“An innocent young man was killed by influential persons ... and the culprits are still at large, but the police are doing nothing.”
The bench was not pleased that the police were unable to reach Shahrukh’s father Sikander Jatoi when a television anchor, Express TV’s Shahzeb Khanzada, was able to. Praising the channel and Khanzada for the interview, the CJ asked what had stopped the police from doing the same. “The anchorperson put his life at risk and interviewed Sikander Jatoi, but the police are clueless.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.
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LOL..love the irony