SC forms committee to probe killing of Amal Umer in encounter

The Supreme Court on Tuesday formed a special committee to probe the killing of 10-year-old Amal Umer during an ‘encounter’ between police and robbers in Karachi.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, while heading a three-judge bench, observed the child had lost her life due to alleged negligence first on the part of Karachi police, and then on the administration of National Medical Centre (NMC) located in the DHA area.

The committee comprising Faisal Siddiqui and Umaima, the lawyers representing Amal's parents, would give recommendations for an inquiry into the minor girl's death.

The court directed the committee to consult the Advocate General Sindh and senior lawyers Aitzaz Ahsan and Latif Khosa while formulating its recommendations.

During the course of proceedings, the CJP observed that Amal’s lost life cannot be brought back.

The inquiry into the incident could not be assigned to the police, he added.

Amal's mother recounted the ordeal they had gone through after taking their injured daughter to NMC on the night of August 13. It was revealed in an inquiry two days later that a machine gun bullet that had hit Amal was fired by a policeman.

"Are we living in Kashmir, Afghanistan or Syria?" she wondered.

The lawyer for Amal's parents informed the court that under the rules only government hospitals were bound to provide emergency treatment to critical patients, and not the private medical institutions.

Meanwhile, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Karachi said Amal's parents had informed him that their daughter was hit by a bullet fired by a policeman when he visited their residence.

"This is police negligence. Who opens fire in a crowded street?" remarked Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another member of the bench.

Expressing displeasure over the absence of the owner of NMC, where Amal was admitted following the incident, the CJP questioned as to whether such hospitals should be allowed to continue functioning that did not even perform their basic medical duty.

He observed that the court would hear the case in its Karachi registry if the need arose.

Summoning the NMC owner on the next hearing, the court adjourned the case till September 25.