Parveen Rahman murder case: SC orders formation of judicial commission

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered for constituting a judicial commission to probe into the killing of prominent activist Parveen Rahman and issued notice to the attorney general.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed was hearing a suo moto case concerning the assassination of Parveen, director of the Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute, who was gunned down on March 13, 2013 in Karachi.

The court criticised the police for poor investigation and negligence, summoning the Sindh advocate general on next date of hearing with complete details. Raheel Kamran, representing Aquila Ismail who is sister of Parveen Rehman, alleged that the police officials conducting investigation had spoiled the case.

Justice Gulzar observed it seems that the police were trying to hide their failure and questioned as to where the Karachi police could be send for learning investigation techniques. He further inquired as to why the police had failed so far to capture the killer.

The investigating officer however, quoting the Karachi police report, informed the court that the main accused – Rahim Swati, Muhammad Amjad Hussain Khan, Ahmed Khan alias Pappu Kashmiri and Muhammad Imran – had been arrested and the case was pending before an anti-terrorism court.

Justice Azmat Saeed, however, observed as to if the accused who had confessed of his crime deny it before the trial court then what the police would do. He said the police did not reach to the bottom and did not investigate the case properly. “It is a high profile case so they would not tolerate carelessness,” Justice Azmat remarked and asked him to check on whose order the case was mishandled.

The investigative officer, however, submitted that the departmental inquiry was in progress against the officials for their negligence and mishandling the case. Later, the court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Parveen was killed on March 13, 2013, when she was on her way home from her office. Assailants on a motorbike shot at her car on Main Manghopir Road near the Banaras Flyover. She sustained bullet wounds on the neck and was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital by her driver, where she died due to her injuries.

In 2014, a senior police officer had told a three-member Supreme Court bench headed by former chief justice Nasir-ul-Mulk that Parveen was in possession of a map detailing the land illegally occupied by affiliates and associates of various political parties operating in the city.