Court seeks JIT report on two men’s ‘extrajudicial killing in staged encounter’

By Our Correspondent
January 24, 2025
The representational image shows a gavel in a court representing rule of law. — Unsplash/File

A sessions court on Thursday sought a comprehensive report from a joint investigation team (JIT) regarding its probe into the alleged extrajudicial killing of two young men in a staged encounter in Orangi Town.

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Mohammad Bilawal and Muhammad Naqash were shot dead while constable Tameer Hussain, 30, was wounded in what the Peerabad police had billed as a shootout with "robbers" on December 2.

Additional Sessions Judge (West) Sohail Ahmed Mashori directed the additional inspector general of the Karachi police to instruct the relevant member of the JIT to appear before the court in person and submit a comprehensive report on next hearing set for January 30.

"Allegations suggest a troubling involvement of police officials of Peerabad police station by name in the unlawful activities. Given the nature of the claims, it is imperative to ascertain the truth regarding the involvement of police personnel in highhandedness and misuse of his powers and posts," the judge observed.

He said the JIT was constituted by the AIG Karachi, but despite the passage of sufficient time, there was no update about such JIT report.

Muhammad Ali Khan, a contractor, filed an application before the sessions court under Section 22-A and -B of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), alleging that his 24-year- old son Muhammad Naqash and his friend Bilawal were killed in a preplanned and fake encounter carried out by the Peerabad police on December 2, 2024.

He stated that the deceased had no criminal record and were law-abiding citizens working in factories. On the day of the incident, Bilawal was lured to a specific location by private individuals using personal connections and both were tortured and killed and a false FIR was lodged to cover up the incident, he claimed.

The applicant alleged that the police misused their official powers and colluded with private individuals to stage the encounter, adding that after public protests, a departmental inquiry was initiated by the AIG Karachi, which found the encounter to be suspicious. Consequently, a joint investigation team was constituted comprising a SSP as chairman, DSP Muhammad Muqeem and Inspector Aijaz Baloch, he said.

However, the applicant complained that there had been no progress or update on the JIT's findings, expressing the apprehension that the police might shield their officials involved in the incident.

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