Parveen Rehman murder case: LEAs seem to be helpless before land, water mafias, says SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday observed that Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) seem to be helpless before land and water mafias.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandiyal, passed these remarks during hearing suo motu case regarding Parveen Rehman, a prominent social activist and director of the Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute who was gunned down on 13th March, 2013 in Karachi.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday granted two-month time to head of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to complete the investigation into the murder of social worker Parveen Rehman. During the course of hearing, the court inquired Babar Bakht Qureshi, head of the JIT, probing the murder of social worker about the progress so far made in the investigation.

Qureshi, however, informed the court that no major development has so far been made in the matter and sought some two months more for completing the investigation. He submitted that as six years havepassed since the social worker was murdered, they even could not get any data through geofencing which could help them in reaching any solid conclusion.

At this, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another member of the bench, asked the official as to what the law enforcing agencies were doing as six years had passed since the social worker was murdered. He questioned as to whether this mafia is out of reach of law enforcing agencies.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial observed that law enforcing agencies seem to be helpless before land and water mafias. People engaged in social welfare activities were killed by mafias, Justice Bandial remarked.

The court directed Babar Bakht Qureshi, head of JIT, to submit an interim report in three weeks about the findings of the case. Parveen Rehman was killed in cold blood, when she was on her way home from her office. Assailants on a motorbike shot at her car on the main Manghopir Road, near the Banaras Flyover. She sustained bullet wounds to the neck and was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital by her driver, where she died because of her wounds.

Meanwhile the court granted two-month time to head of JIT for completing the probe with the direction to authorities not to remove him till the completion of the investigation in the instant matter. The court also directed the head of JIT to submit an interim report within three weeks.

Last year in January, the court had ordered for constituting a judicial commission to probe the killing of prominent activist Parveen Rehman. The court had criticised the investigation so far made by the Karachi Police and its negligence in the murder of Parveen Rehman.

The court was informed the principal accused including Rahim Sawati, Muhammad Amjad Hussain Khan and Ahmed Khan alias Papoo Kashmiri and Muhammad Imran have been arrested in the case and their trial is pending before anti-terrorism court, Karachi.