Sikandar's son Shahrukh is wanted for his involvement in Shahzeb Khan's murder over a small argument. PHOTO: SCREENSHOT
Sikander Jatoi, father of the prime suspect in the murder of 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan, was arrested by the Karachi police outside the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Following his arrest Jatoi was moved to Karachi later in the night.
Shahzeb Khan was shot dead in Karachi allegedly by Jatoi’s son Shahrukh and his friend Siraj Talpur, who has already been apprehended. Jatoi is accused of helping his son, Shahrukh, flee the country.
The Supreme Court had earlier ordered that Sikander as well as all other accused persons be arrested by Thursday (yesterday).
Shahrukh, has not yet been arrested, although the police have traced his whereabouts in Dubai.
Before Jatoi’s arrest on Thursday, his counsel, Advocate Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, requested the apex court to extend his one-day protective bail on Wednesday. However, the court turned down the request.
Pirzada informed the court that Jatoi was present in court and the police wanted to arrest him. “My lord, I request you to grant some relief to my client so that he is able to reach Karachi tomorrow and cooperate with the police,” he pleaded.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, however, stated that instead of approaching the Supreme Court, Jatoi must cooperate with the police in the investigation.
During the proceedings, Sindh Advocate General Fateh Malik informed the court that Interpol had confirmed that Shahrukh was in UAE. An irked chief justice censured DIG Shahid Hayat for “misleading” the court by telling it that Shahrukh had not left the country.
The DIG said that they had checked all records at all airports as well as land routes and had no clue of Shahrukh’s departure from the country.
The DIG Shahid further assured the Chief Justice that the Federal Investigation Agency was investigating the matter to figure out how Shahrukh left the country with fake identification.
He also pointed out that it was because of the pressure imposed by the police that Sikander Jatoi appeared before the court. But there was no impressing the chief justice. “You did not put this pressure from the day one. You should have taken action much earlier,” he said, adding that even besides Shahzeb Khan’s case, the police seemed uninterested in any of the incidents that take place in Karachi on a daily basis.
The DIG said that SSP Niaz Khoso is in Dubai to arrest Shahrukh, adding that all exit points there have been closed.
The court directed the police to arrest Shahrukh by the next date of hearing.
On the request of the police, the hearing of the case was adjourned till January 16.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2013.
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