Replug: Chaudhry Aslam, Karachi’s iron man

Chaudhry Aslam caught criminals of the likes of Saulat Mirza, Ajmal Pahari and Rehman Dakait.

For Karachi, Crime Investigation Department (CID) SP Chaudhry Aslam was an iron man, who is no more.

Super cop Mohammad Aslam Khan — better known as Chaudhry Aslam — died in a bomb blast near Essa Nagri on Thursday. He leaves behind a wife, three sons and a daughter.

As the head of the Anti-Extremist Cell of the CID, Aslam was the formidable face of Karachi police. An officer who rose to the ranks of SP without proper qualification, who reached the heights of his career by killing criminals in encounters, who dared to smoke even in front of television cameras. But when it came to catching militants, they say he was the best.

When the 52-year-old survived a massive bombing at his house in DHA in September 2011, he roared to carry on jihad against the terrorists. The daunting man who ferociously spoke against the TTP never looked back. He captured or killed many leaders of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Sipah-e-Mohammad Pakistan, to name a few.



The burly tough man was always clad in a white, starched cotton shalwar kameez, sporting a white and black beard. He joined the police force in November 1984 as an ASI and became a DSP in 1999, SP in 2005, and became associated with the CID in 2008.

Originally from Mansehra, he took part in the two operations against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the 1990s, and was accused of torturing several of their men. However, years later, the two reached a compromise. Aslam was known to his colleagues by several names, ‘encounter specialist’, ‘baba police’, ‘yaaron ka yaar’ [friend of friends]. He served as an SHO at several police stations, such as Gulbahar and also worked as the head of the Lyari Task force — a position in which he killed up to 50 alleged gangsters.



In the police force, the officers called him a ‘ranker’ as he received promotions on the basis of performance. Last August, lady luck turned its back against him as he was demoted from an SSP rank to DSP. But later in departmental promotions, he was promoted to an SP rank.

The chain smoker — his brand Davidoff — caught hardened criminals and hit men of the likes of Saulat Mirza, Ajmal Pahari, Rehman Dakait and Shoaib Khan. With his grave and hoarse voice, the man always seemed to be in a hurry. People who met Aslam said he loved to walk and would roam around at his office in Garden. “He would rarely sit down. He was always on the move.”
 

Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan recommended civil award for Shaheed SP Chaudhry Aslam in recognition of his gallantary services.

— Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad (@drishratulebad) January 9, 2014

In the press conferences that he held after arresting terrorists, he would flaunt weapons and push photographers to take pictures. Aslam’s ringtone on his cellphone started with a prayer, ‘Aye Allah ...’. The man with a silent laughter struggled when he had to save numbers on his phone.

Aslam’s career was never short on controversies. Disillusioned by the judicial system where the accused were able to walk free due to a lack of concrete evidence, he became a firm believer in extra-judicial killings. To his credit are dozens of killings in questionable encounters.

In one such killing, he was suspended from the police force and served a year-long prison term in 2006 for killing a labourer whom he had mistaken for criminal Mashooq Brohi. Aslam was also believed to be the one to capture Rehman Dakait at one time. But he released him later. Aslam was, however, the one to kill Rehman in an encounter in 2010.

Senior police officer Khurram Waris, who had 18 to 20 years of association with Aslam, felt that after this attack, no police officer would be able to say anything or take any action against terrorists. “Nothing is left now. This is a big loss for the police.”

A sub-inspector, Rana Zakir, who worked with him in several operations, recalled how Aslam would hold a cigarette in one hand and a 9mm Glock pistol in another. When they worked together, Aslam would say: “Main sab ko mar doonga [I will kill everyone].”

Aslam went up to receive Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award, from former president Asif Ali Zardari, which was opposed by civil society organisations for giving an award to an ‘extra-judicial killer’.

How many times Chaudhry Aslam was attacked

January 15, 2006

Gunmen attack Chaudhry Aslam’s convoy in Gizri. Two police officers died in the attack.

November 11, 2010

Explosives-laden truck targeted CID centre near PIDC killing at least 15 people. Terrorists claimed one of the targets was Chaudhry Aslam.

September 19, 2011

Vehicle carrying 300kgs of explosives rammed into Chaudhry Aslam’s house in DHA Phase VIII near Darakshan police station. Aslam survived the attack but eight others including a schoolteacher and a student were killed.

May, 2013

Rocket and grenade attack at police officers, including Chaudhry Aslam, during Lyari operation.

July 20, 2013

Bomb attack near Essa Nagri at Sir Shah Suleman Road injures KMC commissioner. Police suspected that Chaudhry Aslam, whose convoy was behind the commissioner’s, was the real target.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2014.