Parveen Rehman case: Probe slum guardian’s murder, SC tells sessions judge

Supreme Court expects a report within 15 days.

ISLAMABAD:

The apex court on Monday ordered district and sessions judge Karachi West Ghulam Mustafa Memon to investigate last year’s killing of Orangi Pilot Project’s (OPP) former director and instructed him to submit a report within 15 days.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani, resumed the hearing of the petition, filed by 12 petitioners, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) and members of civil society groups.

The petitioners had requested the court to constitute a judicial commission to investigate the murder. Rehman was gunned down in Karachi on March 13, 2013 as she was being driven home.

During the hearing, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Karachi West Javed Alam Odho appeared before the court and submitted a report regarding Rehman’s murder case. According to the report, a suspected militant, Qari Bilal was involved in her killing. The report said Bilal was wounded in a police encounter, was arrested and later shifted to hospital, where he died of injuries.

Before his death, the prime accused Qari Bilal released the names of three other people, who were yet to be traced as the police had no record in this regard, he said.

The SC bench, however, rejected the investigation report  and directed the district and sessions judge Karachi west to probe into the matter and submit a report in this regard within 15 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2014.