Lawyer’s murder case: Protesters in Charsadda seek arrest of SHO

CHARSADDA: Workers of Jamaat-e-Islami, lawyers, civil society members and representatives of various political parties on Friday staged a protest sit-in outside the District Police Officer’s (DPO) office in Charsadda to demand arrest of former SHO of City Police Station who has been nominated in the murder case of a young lawyer, Syed Asim Shah.

Members of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association, as well as bar associations from Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Mohmand and Khyber districts attended the protest to demand the arrest of Behramand Shah, the former SHO of City Police Station.

Addressing the gathering, Peshawar High Court Bar president Aminur Rehman, Charsadda Bar president Mujeebur Rehman Advocate, and Jamaat-e-Islami Charsadda president Shah Hussain Advocate accused the former SHO of taking the law into his own hands by killing an innocent young lawyer. They further alleged that the police compounded the injustice by arresting and torturing the victim’s father, brother, and relatives.

The speakers noted that although the murder occurred on August 22 and an FIR was registered against Behramand Shah, local police have failed to arrest him and are allegedly providing protection instead. They warned that protests would continue until the accused is taken into custody. “If no legal action is taken within a week, we will stage demonstrations outside the offices of the RPO Mardan and the IGP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the PHC bar president said.

The lawyers’ community also announced that no lawyer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would represent the accused in court.Separately, political and religious leaders including former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, Federal Minister Amir Muqam, former KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Ikhtiar Wali, ANP President Aimal Wali Khan, former provincial ministers Inayatullah Khan and Fazal Rabbani, JI Provincial Emir Abdul Wasi, and QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Sherpao condemned the killing and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused.