Another JIT formed to probe Bhatti’s murder

Authorities have again formed a JIT to ascertain facts narrated by the suspect during recent investigations.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad Police landed with the first real clue into the murder probe of Shahbaz Bhatti, the former minister for minorities, after more than two years. A suspected terrorist arrested in August this year confessed to being involved in the high-profile killing.

Interestingly, the arrest of the suspect, Hammad Adil, was not the result of police’s own efforts. They were just lucky that the intelligence agencies got him for them. Otherwise, the police had almost abandoned the investigations into the minister’s murder.

Bhatti was shot to death in broad daylight in Sector I-8/3 by three gunmen on March 2, 2011. The gunmen left a pamphlet at the crime scene stating that the federal minister was killed for supporting amendments in the blasphemy law and advocating for the release of alleged blasphemers.

Immediately after the incident, then interior minister formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising officials from various intelligence agencies and the police. This JIT went through multiple changes in two years before it finally came to the police solely to trace the killers. The investigation team failed to get even closer to the assassins.

After Adil’s revelations of his involvement in the incident, authorities have once again formed a JIT to re-probe the incident and ascertain facts narrated by the suspect during recent investigations.

The team, comprising intelligence officials, a Superintendent of Police (SP), a Sub Divisional Police Officer and Industrial Area Station House Officer, the SP Investigation and officials of the  Crime Investigation Department, on Saturday obtained a two-day physical custody of Adil.

Many police officials believe that the involvement of more than one investigation agencies would only complicate things. After the suspect has confessed, only the police from the concerned area should have been entrusted with carrying out the probe.

The chief reason for failure of last JIT was precisely the involvement of more than one agency. “It divided opinion and consequently the probers lost track once and for all,” said a senior police officer who was part of previous JIT.

Interestingly, the Industrial Area police was without their chief since the last SP was transferred a month ago. The additional charge of the area was with SP Sadar who was not part of the recently revised JIT.

However, the JIT has already begun interrogating the suspect. So far, the police have made no other arrest. Islamabad Inspector General of Police had told the media that the suspected terrorist had confessed to killing the minister with the help of members of Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The other suspects are still at large. The JIT officials said they would produce Adil before a magistrate on Monday to get an extension of his physical remand. The police need more time obtain information of his accomplices from him.

However, one member of the JIT insisted that the police were capable of pursuing the case from this point on and there should be minimum external interference. Or else, the revised JIT would face the fate of the last team and would not be able to arrest Adil’s accomplices who actually carried out the assassination, he said.

The suspect under detention had only assisted the real perpetrators of the crime, according to the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2013.