Zubair Qureshi
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) District Administration has constituted a three-member probe body to investigate the allegations of extrajudicial killing of two suspects in the F-9 Park rape case on Feb 16. The committee, according to a notification issued by the District Magistrate of Islamabad is constituted on the complaint of the families of the two deceased Nawab Khan s/o Mohammad Akram a resident of Golu Dheri, District Swabi currently living in Shah Allah Ditta Islamabad and Iqbal Khan s/o Javed Khan a resident of village Rahman Tehsil, District Peshawar, currently living in Golra Sharif.
The District Magistrate of Islamabad has appointed Assistant Commissioner (Saddar) ICT, SSP Saddar ICT and DSP Special Branch ICT to look into the matter “in a discreet manner and as per law.” The notification further says that the three-member committee will be empowered to investigate and take any necessary action if it deems necessary.
A day earlier, Imaan Mazari Advocate counsel for the victim (wife of one of the suspects) accompanied by rights activists Farzana Bari and Tahira Abdullah had alleged at a press conference that the two suspects were gunned down by Islamabad police in a “fake encounter”, and termed it an incident of “extrajudicial killing.”
The Islamabad police however continue to insist it was a genuine encounter and the two suspects had opened fire on police when they were intercepted at a checkpost Thursday night. Police also claimed that both the suspects were wanted for other crimes while one of the suspects was an absconder in a murder case.
According to Imaan Mazari, her client had identified the suspects on February 15 (Wednesday). She said that police had called the victim at around 4:30pm on Wednesday to the Crime Investigation Agency’s (CIA) police station in I-9 to identify the suspects. She added that the victim had identified the suspects before her lawyers reached the police station at 4:55pm.
“I can say with surety that the two suspects who were arrested were in police custody on Feb 15 in the CIA’s police station in I-9,” the lawyer had asserted.
She said IGP Islamabad was answerable for such a “brazen act of extrajudicial killing” that too in the heart of the federal capital. Since citizens are being killed extra judicially by the police force that is supposed to protect them, the IGP no longer deserves to remain in office, she said.
After the uproar by the civil society and the suspects’ relatives, the committee is now constituted by the police to conduct a fair investigation. However, the notification issued by the District Magistrate is mum on the TRO of the probe committee neither there is any timeline to complete the investigation.
