Security ordered for witness in Perween Rahman murder case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the Perween Rahman murder case has ordered provision of security to a prosecution witness. The court was due to record his statement on Thursday, but he did not turn up over threats.

Defence attorney Salahuddin Panhwar told the court earlier that the prosecution witnesses, Perween’s family and he himself were facing threats. He said the Supreme Court has already ordered security for the victim’s family, but the authorities are yet to comply.

Noor Muhammad and Ahsanuddin have been declared proclaimed offenders in this case, while Ahmad, alias Pappu Kashmiri, Imran Sawati and Rahim Sawati have already been detained.

The then director of the Orangi Pilot Project, Perween was gunned down by four men in an attack near the Banaras flyover in Orangi Town in March 2013. She was a vocal activist working against land and water mafia in the city.

It was only after the Supreme Court took up the murder case that the police sprang into action and arrested the suspects. On October 31 last year the police had produced the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Amjad Hussain, who is believed to be the prime suspect and was arrested in Manghopir.

According to the police, Hussain has admitted that he was involved in the murder. Three more suspects, namely Moosa, Ayaz Sawati and Shaldar Khan, are on the run.  

Four-year hunt

The four-year search for Muhammad Amjad Hussain Khan, alias Amjad Afridi, had drawn to a close after the Manghopir police arrested him in a late night raid on October 23.

District West Investigation-I SSP Zeeshan Siddiqui said the Supreme Court bench hearing the murder case had directed the Karachi police in the last hearing to arrest Afridi and another absconding accused, Ayaz Ali.

“We found out that Afridi frequently travelled between Karachi and Peshawar. We kept a close watch on his activities and moved in to arrest him when he arrived in Karachi.”

A surveillance team was deployed along the route that Afridi was expected to take and the National Database & Registration Authority was asked to block his identity card.

The police also wrote to the Federal Investigation Agency to ascertain if Afridi had travelled abroad, but there was no such record. A pistol and a hand grenade were found on Afridi.