Arrest of Wali Babar’s killer comes at a price

ISLAMABAD: At least nine lives were taken to protect the condemned murderer of Geo’s Reporter Wali Khan Babar Shaheed but eventually law prevailed when Faisal Mota was dramatically arrested from the Nine Zero in the Rangers raid on Wednesday.
The murder trial of Wali Khan Babar had been a tortuous journey which left at least nine dead including policemen, prosecutors and witnesses. They were eliminated one by one to protect Faisal Mota and Kamran alias Zeeshan from law. Zeeshan is still at large.
On March 1, 2014, a court in Kandhkot, interior Sindh, after a long trial announced death sentences for Kamran alias Zeeshan and Faisal Mota in absentia. In addition, four others namely Faisal Mehmood, Ali Rizvi, Naveed Polka and Shahrukh were awarded life imprisonment who are presently detained in Sukkar Central Jail.
Babar’s case was the first one where killers of a Pakistani journalist were prosecuted but the two who were awarded death sentence were at large. Faisal Mota’s arrest is a major development in Wali’s murder case for its logical conclusion. But this entire exercise didn’t complete without taking another nine lives during the course of investigation raising serious question marks about the state’s apathy towards the witnesses, investigators and prosecutors who risked their personal safety for others. Babar was murdered on January 13, 2011, on his way home from Geo TV office in Karachi. Police started investigation and the killers reacted for cowing investigators into silence.
As many as five policemen and witnesses were eliminated during the initial phase.Rajab Bengali, a citizen who helped police in recovering the vehicle used in killing Babar, was murdered on January 29, 2011. His dead body wrapped in a bag was found from Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi.
Asif Rafiq, a police constable who had noted registration number of the vehicle used in the incident, was gunned down on January 31, 2011, two days after Rajab Bengali’s murder. Another policeman, Arshad Kundi, who helped in recovering the car used in carrying out Bengali’s murder, was killed on March 20, 2011.
Likewise, 85 days after the murder of Babar, a police inspector, Shafique Tanoli, who had arrested five accused in Babar’s case, lost his brother to the killers. Naveed Tanoli was killed in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi on April 7, 2011. Another policeman who was associated with Shafiq Tanoli was also gunned down.
The suspected killers apprehended by SHO Shafique Tanoli were Faisal Nafsiyati, Tahir Naveed alias Polka, Shah Rukh alias Mani, Muhammad Ali Rizvi and Shakil Malik. (Four of them were awarded life sentence and Shakeel was set free for want of evidence. Two proclaimed offenders: Kamran alias Zeeshan and Faisal Mota were handed death sentence; Mota has been arrested from Nine Zero).
Haider Ali alias Saleem, an important witness of Babar’s case who had volunteered recognising the suspect killers during an identity parade was gunned down at his home in Soldier Bazar Karachi on November 11, 2012.
Panicked by the systematic killings of policemen and witnesses as well as threats from the killers, Arshad Iqbal Cheema, a lawyer in Babar’s case, disassociated himself and fled abroad. Two other lawyers, Muhammad Khan Barurro and Mubashar Mirza also rescued themselves from the case.
Then a lawyer, Naimat Ali Randhawa, agreed to follow the case on repeated requests of Babar’s family only to be murdered on September 26, 2013. Seven killings sparked disproportionate panic, as nobody was ready to play any role in bringing the killers to justice forcing the government to request the transfer of case from Karachi to interior Sindh (Kandhkot) that was done on November 8, 2013. However, it didn’t see any let up in attacks. Karachi residence of Abdul Maroof, special prosecutor appointed in Babar’s case, was attacked on November 21, 2013. However, he got a narrow escape. A month later on December 20, 2013, inspector Shafique Tanoli (key police officer involved in Babar’s murder probe) was attacked with bombs near PIB Colony Karachi. He was injured along with 28 other persons but two of his colleagues were killed.
As the case was shifted to Kandhkot, it was decided to conduct hearing inside the premises of Shikarpur prison due to security reasons. Nevertheless, hearing was to be adjourned many a time due to the non-appearance of the counsel of suspect killers, Salman Mujahid Baloch. Despite all odds, Kandhkot Courts decision turned out to be a historic day when the murderers of a Pakistani journalist were brought to justice. And on March 11, 2014 the main killer of Babar, Faisal Mota was also arrested from Nine Zero during a Ranger’s raid.
As many as 77 journalists and media workers have been killed since 1992, according to New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a watchdog organization that work on the safety of journalists and struggle for ending the culture of impunity. The motive was confirmed at least in cases of 53 journalists that they were murdered in direct reprisal of their professional work. Nevertheless, their killers operate with impunity and the government functionaries only issued condemning statements instead of nabbing the culprits. Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal’s reporter was mutilated by militants in Karachi. His killers were apprehended and sentenced only under Washington’s pressure. The government never showed due diligence in cases of Pakistani journalists.