KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has directed the additional inspector general of police, Karachi, to initiate an inquiry against police officials involved in fake encounters and take strict action against them. The ATC-XII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdicts in two separate cases reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.
The judge directed the Karachi police chief to take action against the police officials who recorded false testimonies before the court and intimate the court regarding action taken against them. The judge also ordered prison authorities to release the accused forthwith, if their custody were not required in any other case. In the verdict, the judge wrote that the evidence of prosecution witnesses could not be relied upon, as the same was full of material contradictions.
During the trial, the then medico-legal officer of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Dr Abid Haroon, testified that the injuries were caused to the accused by a low-velocity weapon with a distance of four to five feet, whereas, according to the prosecution, police were having a sub-machine gun SMG , which is a high-velocity weapon and encounter took place with a minimum distance of 10 yards.
According to the prosecution, head constable Shakeel along with others were on a routine patrol on Sept 12, when he spotted two men riding a motorcycle. The policemen signalled them to stop, but the suspects opened straight fire on them and tried to escape.
The police retaliated and bullets hit both legs of a suspect, later identified as Fazal Ihsan, who was subsequently arrested in injured condition, but his alleged accomplice, Imran, managed to flee. Two separate cases were lodged under Sections assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty , attempted murder and 34 common intention of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 23 i -A of the Sindh Arms Act, read with the Section 7 punishment for acts of terrorism of the Anti-Terrorism Act, at the SITE-A police station.
