KARACHI: Police in a charge sheet submitted on March 24 for the Maqsood killing case stated that policeman ASI Tariq shot the deceased from a close range.
Law enforcement authorities on January 20 claimed to have killed a wanted suspect, Maqsood, in a shootout near Faisal Base at Shahra-e-Faisal. However, hours later, police backtracked on their initial statement, stating that the citizen was in fact killed due to the firing of the real suspect engaged in a shootout with the police.
The charge sheet further stated that Tariq shot two other people after dragging them out from a rickshaw, along with the deceased.
Sheikh Muhammad, the father of the deceased, expressed reservations over the charge sheet. He demanded that the authorities present the CCTV video of the incident to the public.
“My son was martyred by the police. I have not received any justice. He was not carrying a weapon; I demand that the authorities release the CCTV video so that people can know the truth,” he said.
Human rights activist and the deceased’s family counsel Jibran Nasir demanded the court to nullify bail given to ASI Tariq and four other suspects named in the case.
“Police have stated in the charge sheet that no weapons were found. The deceased was not a dacoit. I have seen the CCTV video which clearly shows the policeman shooting the innocent [man] under the pretext of an encounter,” Nasir said.
Earlier today, Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal noted that incidents of extrajudicial killings were taking place ‘one after another.’ However, he added, the police was not doing this on purpose.
The minister called Maqsood, ‘innocent’. He also said the impression that the government was trying to ‘protect someone’ was wrong.
Speaking to media on January 20, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) AD Khawaja had sided with the police officials after the incident.
Responding to the reservations expressed by late Maqsood’s sister of the role played by the police in the incident, the police chief had said: “If they have doubts that the police is at fault, we will conduct an inquiry.”
