Shahrukh had turned himself in on Monday evening. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE/FILE
With the necessary paperwork completed, Shahrukh Jatoi, the prime suspect in the Shahzeb Khan murder case, is expected to land in Karachi early Thursday morning (today).
A senior police officer familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune that his delayed return was a result of his passport being cancelled by the government of Pakistan. He added that he is being brought home on a temporary permit issued by the UAE authorities.
“I was not behind the murder of Shahzeb Khan. As soon as the news of the incident broke and I was made responsible for the murder, I fled fearing my father’s reaction and any other possible repercussions. But after reaching Dubai, I realised that I had taken a wrong step by running away,” a police official quoted as Shahrukh’s initial statement.
SSP Niaz Khosa, who was part of a team sent to Dubai to bring the prime suspect back, confirmed that Shahrukh is to return to Karachi today – but he did not provide any other details.
How the murder suspect fled to Dubai in the first place remains a mystery. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sindh Region Director Abdul Malik earlier told The Express Tribune that there appeared to be no travel record on his name, and he did not seem to have used any airport in the country.
Police investigators, however, suspect that FIA’s immigration staff may have provided assistance to Shahrukh in his escape to Dubai. They added that the suspect did not use his passport, and there was no entry of his name on the Inter Border Management System (IBMS). The investigators said he was allowed to sit directly on the plane.
The involvement of a senior FIA immigration officer, who is said to be a classmate of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, is also suspected.
However, FIA Immigration Deputy Director Malik Subah Sadiq told The Express Tribune that the claims of the police were wrong, and that there is no evidence that Shahrukh fled to Dubai from an airport.
Sadiq maintained that there is no inquiry being conducted to ascertain how he fled to Dubai, nor is there any probe against his immigration staff.
Investigation officer Inspector Mohammad Mobin, meanwhile, insisted that Shahrukh used the Karachi airport.
SC hearing
In Wednesday’s hearing of the murder case, the Supreme Court sought a comprehensive investigation report from the FIA and the Sindh Police.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed its suo motu hearing of the murder case.
Sindh Police Inspector General (IG) Fayyaz Leghari appeared before a three-member bench of the apex court and presented a report validating Shahrukh’s surrender. Leghari informed the court that the SHO and DSP of the Darakshan Police Station were removed from their posts. The murder took place within the station’s jurisdiction.
The chief justice questioned who was behind Shahrukh’s escape from Pakistan. The court was told that a four-member team of the FIA has already been formed to probe the matter.
The chief justice remarked that the Sindh Police itself had done nothing, pointing out that the prime suspect as well as his father had themselves surrendered. He added that no discrimination is permissible under the Constitution during action against anyone who is accused – whether they are rich or poor.
The chief justice instead appreciated the media, saying it had unravelled the facts of the case while the police had failed to gather basic information. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, meanwhile, observed that the police department is ‘on the verge of collapse’.
Granting the police time to show progress in the matter, the bench adjourned the hearing of the case till January 29.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2013.
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