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Thursday April 25, 2024

Two SPs booted from posts over SHC siege

Two senior officials tasked to probe May 23 incident and submit report to CM within 10 days

By our correspondents
May 30, 2015
Karachi
The chief minister removed two superintendents of police from their posts on Friday over the police siege of court buildings on May 23 and tasked two senior officials to probe the incident and submit a report to him within 10 days.
Qaim Ali Shah issued the directives at a meeting held at the Chief Minister’s House in connection with the Sindh High Court’s verdict in a contempt case pertaining to police laying siege to the SHC and anti-terrorism court buildings on May 23 to arrest former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza and his supporters.
During the siege, police rounded up 11 security guards of Mirza for possessing illegal arms. Some reporters and cameramen were also beaten up by masked policemen.
The chief minister formed a two-member committee of grade B-21 officers, chief minister’s inspection team chairman Subhan Memon and works and services secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah, to investigate the May 23 incident and submit a report within 10 days.
SP South (Saddar) Zeeshan Siddiqi and SP Central Asad Raza were ousted from their posts and ordered to report to the IGP’s office.
The two police officers were deployed at the SHC building on May 23.
The participants of the meeting were informed that IGP had also suspended Major Saleem, another sub-inspector, and 11 constables – all of them associated with the police’s special security unit - for their involvement in the siege.
Besides, Preedy SHO Naeemuddin was also suspended over the incident.
The 11 constables were identified as Syed Amir Khan, Ali Raza, Aftab Anwar, Zain Ali, Muhammad Kashif, Muhammad Shoaib, Shahjahan, Muhammad Tariq, Muhammad Shah, Imran Khan Jatt and Fareedullah.
Chief secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon and law secretary Mir Mohammad Shaikh were also present at the meeting.

Rewards announced
The chief minister announced a reward of Rs3 million for SSP West Captain Azfar Mahesar and his team for conducting a raid in Orangi Town a day earlier and seizing a huge cache of arms and ammunition.
He also announced Rs3 million for an Inter-Services Intelligence team that had provided the information on which the raid was conducted.
Besides, Shah also announced Rs3 million for a Rangers team that had raided a terrorist hideout in Orangi Town on Sunday night.
One of terrorists had blown himself up with a suicide vest. As a result, the roof of the house had caved in, killing three other terrorists. One of them was taken into custody on in an injured condition.
After interrogation, another house was raided where two terrorists were killed in an encounter and a third one had exploded himself with a suicide vest. One of their associates was arrested and a kidnapped child, Fahad Mirza, was found at the hideout.
Rangers had found four rockets, six suicide jackets, 10 bombs and other arms and ammunition at the hideouts.