Extrajudicial killings cannot be allowed under any circumstances: SHC

Observing that extrajudicial killings could not be allowed under any circumstances, the Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the DIG of the Sindh police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to hold an inquiry into the killing of two persons in a police encounter.

The SHC was hearing a petition of Abdul Sattar Leghari who had approached the court against the illegal detention of his son Abdul Jabbar allegedly by the personnel of law enforcement agencies and his later killing in an alleged encounter by the Counter-Terrorism Department in August 2017.

The petitioner submitted that his son had been picked up from his house situated in the Baldia Town area and the case of his enforced disappearance was pending before the SHC. However, the relevant authorities informed the court that the petitioner’s son and another suspect, Mohammad Arsalan Khan, were killed in an encounter with the CTD and that they were associated with the banned Tehrik-e-Talban Pakistan and Ammarat –e-Islamia Talban Afghanistan and involved in criminal cases.

The CTD SSP filed an inquiry report which stated that both the suspects had been killed in the police encounter and they had criminal records as they were involved in the killing of a police officer.

An SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto expressed dissatisfaction over the inquiry report and observed that extrajudicial killings could not be allowed in any circumstances.

The court directed the CTD DIG to hold an inquiry into the matter and submit a report within one month. In another detention case, the SHC directed the Karachi additional IG to constitute a team of experienced police officers to recover a missing person allegedly picked up by the CTD.

The petitioner, Rasheeda Begum, submitted that CTD officials had picked up her son Samar Khan Afridi from Baldia Town on August 8, 2016 and his whereabouts were unknown since then. She alleged that CTD Inspector Mohammad Ashfaq Bajwa and other personnel were responsible for her son’s disappearance and no action was being taken for his recovery.

The SHC directed the CTD SSP to appear before the court and reply to the allegations leveled by the petitioner. In the meantime, the court directed the Karachi additional IG to constitute a team of experienced police officers for the recovery of the missing person and sought a report on the next hearing.