Karachi
The Sindh chief minister said on Tuesday that as the family of Aftab Ahmed, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist who had died in Rangers’ custody last week, had reposed complete trust in the inquiry ordered by the army chief into his death, there was no need for him to order another investigation into the matter.
Interestingly, in a handout issued by the Chief Minister’s House, Qaim Ali Shah described Aftab Ahmed’s death as “custodial killing”, a term also used by the MQM.
The handout quoted the chief minister as saying that the debate about the Sindh government not ordering an inquiry into the “custodial killing” of Ahmed was uncalled for as the army chief had already done that. The chief minister said he was extremely saddened over Ahmed’s death and the Sindh Rangers director general, on the very first day of the incident, had ordered an inquiry into it after taking him into confidence.
The chief minister said in the statement he was not at all oblivious of the matter.
The CM recalled that Ahmed’s family and the MQM had both appealed to the COAS Gen Raheel Sharif to order a probe into the death and he accepted their appeal.
On May 3, the day Ahmed died in Rangers’ custody, Rangers DG Major Gen Bilal Akbar held a meeting with the chief minister. Later, the special policing powers of Rangers in Karachi were extended for 77 days on the recommendation of the provincial government.