Police start helping pay for cop shot in the head

Sindh IG pays late-night visit to Rana Amir who was shot on Sunday.

KARACHI: The police department has started helping the family of the police constable, who was shot at Patel Para on Sunday night and is undergoing treatment at Aga Khan Hospital.

A team of police officials paid a visit to the injured policeman, Rana Amir, the night of the incident and assured the family of their support. Amir, a police constable, was shot thrice while he was on duty.

Amir is still at the intensive care unit but the doctors said his condition has improved. His vitals are returning to normal, the neuro surgeon told the family. His injuries were, however, quite severe as the bullet shattered a bone and grazed his brain. Despite the fact that Aga Khan is not on the police department’s panel of hospitals, the department will bear all the expenses, Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch assured the family on his visit. He also met Amir’s doctor and inquired about his condition. Baloch was accompanied by Additional IG Karachi Iqbal Mehmood, DIG Headquarters Sanaullah Abbasi, DIG Welfare Abdullah Shaikh, DIG East Captain (retd) Tahir Naveed, SSP Imran Shaukat, DSP Nasir Lodhi and several SHOs.

The officials gave the hospital Rs50,000 cash during the visit and promised that the rest of the amount will be paid as well. The family has so far paid Rs100,000 to the hospital - half of which they arranged on their own, Amir’s brother Rana Saif told The Express Tribune. “We have to pay at least Rs900,000 more to the administration and we fear the doctors may stop his treatment if there is a delay in the payment.” They are hoping the Sindh IGP will keep his promise and pay the rest of the medical bill soon.



The attack took place when police pickets were being set up to provide security for the funeral prayers of three Awami National Party workers, killed a day earlier. The attack also claimed the lives of two policemen, Mohammad Iqbal and Mohammad Amjad, who were laid to rest in Korangi and Essa Nagri graveyards respectively. Their funeral prayers were offered at Garden Police Headquarters.

Investigations

The investigators probing the targeted attack on the police van have yet to ascertain the motive. They claimed, however, that they know which group is attacking law enforcers. “The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is getting influential in Patel Para and its surrounding areas and, most probably, TTP was behind the attack,” said DSP Zameer Abbasi. “We still don’t know if it was just a random attack or part of the ongoing targeted attacks on the police.”

The law enforcers also claimed to have apprehended nearly eight suspects belonging to the banned outfit and a political party but their affiliations and identities have yet to be disclosed. The suspects were taken into custody during targeted raids in Patel Para and Jahangir Road.

On the attack on the three ANP men, DSP Abbasi said the attackers belong to a Lyari gangster group. “The ANP men were also operating a criminal gang, while the Lyari gangsters were also expanding their circles,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2013.