Shady details: Sohrab Goth SHO suspended, Sacchal policeman under probe

PkSF workers block Super Highway to protest ‘extrajudicial’ killing of their leader.

KARACHI: A large number of angry residents blocked the main Super Highway for hours on Sunday over the killing of a leader of the Pakhtun Student Federation in an alleged ‘fake’ encounter with the police. Meanwhile, police high-ups have suspended Sohrab Goth SHO and initiated an inquiry against the Sacchal SHO over the protesters’ demands.

Shah Kalam Mehsud, the president of District East for PkSF, was killed on the night between Friday and Saturday in an alleged encounter with the police at Ganna Mandi, near Super Highway, within the limits of Sohrab Goth police station.

Mehsud was laid to rest at Janjal Goth graveyard in Sohrab Goth on Sunday noon. After his burial, participants of the funeral, including his family members, relatives, neighbours, friends and workers of the PkSF, gathered at the main Super Highway and stopped the flow of traffic. They staged a protest against the incident and shouted slogans against the police officials involved in Mehsud’s killing.

“Mehsud’s body was placed at the Edhi morgue while the police declared him a dacoit,” said Mehsud’s friend, Tariq Tareen, while talking to The Express Tribune. “We ended our protest when the police higher ups convinced us by saying that Mehsud was not a dacoit.”

The protesters ended the protest after the police higher ups suspended Sohrab Goth SHO Shoaib Shaikh and initiated inquiry against him and Sacchal SHO Shaukat Raza. “They (police high-ups) have asked for 24 hours to suspend SHO Raza after the inquiry and to register a case against them for killing Mehsud in a fake encounter,” said PkSF president Raza Jadoon. On the other hand, DSP Khan told The Express Tribune that an inquiry has been initiated against both the SHOs and nothing could be said until it was completed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2014.