73 cops posted at Karachi’s 43 police stations suspended

As many as 73 policemen at 43 police stations across Karachi have been suspended for being part of special police parties and performing duties in plainclothes.

The suspended cops -- three sub-inspectors, nine assistant sub-inspectors, 15 head constables and 46 constables – have been ordered to report to the Special Security Unit. The suspension orders have come after Karachi’s acting additional inspector general of police, Ghulam Nabi Memon, directed the senior superintendents of police, who are the police chiefs of their respective districts, to ban special police parties and personnel in plainclothes and also remove station house officers (SHOs) with a bad record.

The decision to ban police personnel in plainclothers has been taken in the aftermath of the recent killing of a young student in a fake encounter in the Orangi Town area of the city. The Karachi police chief has asked all the district SSPs to submit certificates that no special party or plainclothes personnel are operating in their districts. According to the order, the SSPs should also remove all SHOs having a bad character from police stations.

On the night of December 6, a 16-year-old boy, Arsalan, was shot dead and his friend wounded by a police team in a fake police encounter in Orangi Town. However, later, then Orangi Town SHO was suspended and two men, including a police constable, were arrested on murder and terrorism charges.

The suspended cops are posted at the following 43 police stations of the city: District Central’s 10 polices stations of Sharifabad, Gulbahar, Rizvia Society, New Karachi, Bilal Colony, Sir Syed, Federal B Industrial Area, Jauharabad, Taimuria and Hyderi; District West’s six police stations of Orangi Town, Mominabad, Pakistan Bazaar, Iqbal Market and Surjani Town; six police stations in District South of Preedy, Clifton, Boat Basin, Darakhshan and Gizri; District City’s two police stations of Nabi Bukhsh and Chakiwar; District Keamari’s four police stations of Jackson, Saeedabad, Ittehad Town and Docks; District East’s eight police stations of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, New Town, Jamshed Quarters, Baloch Colony, Tipu Sultan, PIB Colony, Mobina Town and Sohrab Goth; District Korangi’s five police stations of Al-Falah, Saudabad, Korangi, Landhi and Awami Colony; and District Malir’s police stations of Malir City and Quaidabad.