Out-of-turn promotions: Police file FIR against own officials for attack on SP

Nominated policemen insist they are being dragged into case unnecessarily.

KARACHI: Two days after the shooting on SP Malik Maqsood, Brigade police have registered the FIR and nominated five of their own top officials as suspects.

The police department has, however, yet to constitute an investigation team to probe the attack, as demanded by the injured SP, who is currently under treatment at PNS Shifa Hospital and is recovering. On Sunday, Brigade police registered the FIR No. 110/13 on the complaint of SP Maqsood. The police have placed sections 324/34 (attempt to murder), 109 (on behest of) and 353 (encounter) of the Pakistan Penal Code.



While recording his complaint, SP Maqsood accused SSP Farooq Awan, Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) counter-terrorism SP Raja Umar Khattab, CID SP Mazhar Mashwani, SP Noorul Haq Rind and SP Khurram Waris of plotting the attack. “These five officers were behind the attack on me,” said SP Maqsood. “These officers sent killers to kill me.” Maqsood added that the same police officers were also behind the incident at Supreme Court Karachi registry in which he was beaten up.

The injured policeman had also demanded the government form a committee - headed by senior and honest police officials - to get the facts behind the attack. “There is no reliable investigation if there is not a reliable investigation team.”



Nevertheless, the local police have been handed over the investigations. “We have registered the FIR as the injured SP wanted,” ASP Rana Shoaib told The Express Tribune. “All the nominated police officials would be questioned and dealt with as per law and no one will be given relief in the investigations.” Since the investigations were in the preliminary level, the police would also question the nominated officers and may also detain them if they were found guilty, he added.

On the other hand, the nominated police officials have expressed their anger and termed the situation a conspiracy against them. “The Supreme Court of Pakistan has already given its verdict against us so why would we attack him [SP Maqsood], said Special Investigation Unit chief SSP Farooq Awan, adding that Maqsood’s role was not even that important in their demotions. “We are not behind the murderous attack on Maqsood, but he and some media personnel are trying to involve us in the attack.”

Another nominated officer Khurram Waris said that they will cooperate with the investigators. “We believe that we will be found innocent in the investigations,” he said. “Right now only we know that we are saying the truth. After the investigations, everyone will know that we were never involved.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2013.