Karachi law and order case: Police ordered to arrest killers of MQM legislator

Supreme Court gives police 24 hours to present Manzar Imam’s assassins.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has directed the police to capture the killers of Muttahida Qaumi Movement legislator Manzar Imam and present them before the court within 24 hours.

Hearing the Karachi law and order case on Tuesday, a three-member bench of the apex court questioned how the common man could expect justice if the police refuse to budge without pressure by the court and cited Shahzeb Khan murder case as a case in point.

“We are directing you to arrest the murderers of MPA Manzar Imam in a similar way, as it was primary duty of police too,” Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said, while addressing Sindh police officials.

Imam was shot dead, along with his driver and two security guards, by armed men on motorcycles in Karachi on January 17.



IG Sindh Fayyaz Laghari and Sindh Additional Secretary Waseem Ahmad were also present in the courtroom during the proceedings.

The apex court censured the Sindh police as well as the provincial government for not implementing its judgment in the Karachi law and order case.

Chief Justice Chaudhry observed that the court’s judgment was only implemented for two months, during which Karachi was relatively peaceful. However, he added, the situation has started spiralling out of control again.

“We are still fully convinced that if the police do not depoliticise to curb crimes, and militant wings of political parties are not disbanded, normalcy will not return to the metropolitan city,” he said.

Malik cited the presence of 5,000 Taliban in Karachi as the reason for unrest.  However, Chief Justice Chaudhry told him not to portray the Taliban as creatures that could not be held. He also questioned how Wasim Ahmad, the former CCPO Karachi, was appointed as the additional secretary of Sindh in violation of the court’s judgment.

Ajmal Pahari’s release

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Justice Chaudhry also sought an explanation from Sindh Advocate General Fateh Muhammad Malik over Ajmal Pahari’s release from prison.

Pahari was arrested for his alleged involvement in more than a hundred target killings. Malik, however, replied that Pahari’s release was not the Sindh government’s sole decision and was instead made at the behest of the Sindh High Court. An unconvinced chief justice, however, pointed out that the provincial government had, in fact, failed to furnish evidence against the accused.

Justice Chaudhry said that the court would examine each and every incident to determine whether their judgment was ignored or implemented in the Karachi law and order case.

The case was adjourned till February 6 and will be resumed at the court’s Karachi Registry.

The chief justice asked officials to bear in mind that they were hearing a contempt petition of the non-implementation of the court’s judgment in the Karachi law and order case.

Meanwhile, Maulvi Iqbal Haider, a habitual petitioner, registered a petition at the Supreme Court over Pahari’s release.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2013.