The Lahore High Court on Wednesday ordered the District and Sessions Judge to hold an inquiry into killing of nine people of a family in three different encounters and submit a report within seven days.
Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar passed the order on a petition by Saleema Bibi against killing of his five sons, including Malik Shahid, Malik Zahid, Malik Majid, Malik Adnan and Malik Imran and four other relatives in three different police encounters on September 18, 2012.
Earlier, Home Secretary Punjab Shahid Khan, Inspector General of Police Punjab Haji Habib-ur-Rehman, SSP (operations) Lahore Rai Tahir, DPO Vehri Ali Nasir Rizvi and DPO Rahim Yar Khan Sohail Khan appeared before the court on being summoned.
Replying to a court query, the home secretary told the court that judicial magistrates were holding inquiry into the matter and soon the report would be submitted into the court. The petitioner’s counsel pointed out that police was not handing over dead bodies of Rahim Yar Khan victims, including two sons of the petitioner.
But, police told the court that the DNA test of dead bodies was being done and the bodies would be handed over to the family soon. The court adjourning the matter till October 22 also sought a separate report from the home secretary in this regard.
The petitioner, in his petition, submitted that a son of the petitioner Imran and two other relatives including Jamshaid and Awais were killed in a police encounter within limits of Police Station Chung, Lahore on September 18. He claimed that the encounter was fake as the FIR registered indicates that no policeman received a scratch in the encounter.
She pointed out that police killed two other sons of the petitioner including Zahid and Majid and their relative Ramzan in another encounter within limits of Buraywala, District Vehri. Whereas petitioner’s two other sons including Malik Shahid and Malik Adnan, were killed in an encounter within limits of Adaadpur, District Rahim Yar Khan, she added. She further expressed serious apprehensions regarding life of her four remaining sons who were being threatened by the police.
