Perween Rahman murder: Judge briefed at OPP office, visits scene of the crime

13 witnesses have been examined so far.

KARACHI:

A court-sanctioned investigation into the murder of Perween Rahman of the Orangi Pilot Project moved forward on Friday with a judge visiting her office and the scene of the crime.

The famed architect and pro-poor worker was shot dead on her way home exactly a year ago, on March 13, 2013. Twelve petitioners went to court asking for an independent judicial commission to investigate the murder. The Supreme Court appointed a district and sessions judge, Ghulam Mustafa Memon of District West, to prepare his own report.

The three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jillani, had rejected the police's version of events.

Judge Memon was accompanied by the SSP for investigations West, the SSP of Orangi Town, and the investigation officer in the case from the police's side. One of the petitioners, Salahuddin Panhwar, went along. The judge visited the spot where Rahman was killed and spoke to people from the area about the incident.

Judge Memon also visited the nearby spot where a second attack took place on January 29, 2014. The OPP joint director, who had taken the reins after Rahman’s killing, engineer Salim Alimuddin, was injured in an ambush.

The inquiry team was escorted by a contingent of police.

At the OPP office, Judge Memon and the rest of the group were given a briefing on the projects Perween Rahman had been working on. Among other efforts, she was involved in women's development as well as providing financial assistance to domestic workers. Petitioner Salahuddin Panhwar told The Express Tribune that so far in the case 13 witnesses have been examined.

The 12 petitioners include the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2014.