PIA employees’ murder case lodged against PML-N leaders

KARACHI: The Airport police registered on Saturday an FIR on murder and attempt to murder charges against several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders over the killing of two PIA employees during a protest near the Karachi airport last week.

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Captain Mohammed Sohail Baloch after police received orders from a lower court. An inquiry team under the supervision of the Malir SP investigations was also formed.

According to the FIR, Captain Sohail Baloch, chairman of the Joint Action Committee of PIA employees and resident of DHA, said that on February 2, between 12:30pm and 1pm thousands of PIA employees were staging a peaceful protest near Terminal-I, TCS office, against “the unlawful privatisation of PIA” and security was being managed by law enforcement agencies. 

He accused them of first using water cannon and teargas and then baton-charging the protesters. The complainant said he heard gunshots all of a sudden and straight firing was carried out  at protesters, as a result of which many protesters, including Inayat Raza, communication manager of the national airline, Saleem Akbar, aircraft engineer and Zubair, HR assistant, were injured.

Raza and Akbar succumbed to their injuries, he said, adding that “these were premeditated and planned murders as straight firing” was carried out.

He said the incident was a well-planned conspiracy hatched in collusion with PML-N leaders Senator Mushahidullah, Senator Prevaiz Rasheed, Shujjat Azeem, Maqsood Ahmed alias Mama and others. He alleged that these people were bent upon privatising PIA by hook or crook.

Captain Baloch said in the FIR that the PIA employees were shareholders and stakeholders of the national airline but they were being pressurised to end their protest so that the “nefarious design to privatise PIA can be accomplished”.

The double murder was witnessed by thousands of people, including “myself, Safdar Anjum, Chakar Shah, Obaidullah, Zameer Chandio, Nadeem Qaiser, Mohammed Ashraf, Nasurullah Khan, Nasir Janjua etc,” said the complainant.

He warned: “I would disclose further names in my further statement after viewing CCTV and other footages. My FIR is against the above-nominated and other unknown persons who I and other PIA employees can identify on seeing.”

Talking to The News, SSP Rao Anwaar of District Malir said the FIR was lodged after the police received directives from the district and sessions judge of Malir. The investigation was referred to the Malir SP investigations, Malik Altaf, he said.

SSP Anwaar added that the probe team would contact the complainant and witnesses to record their statements. He said the team would also take help from media persons for footage of the incident that could help in investigations.