It was feared that President Asif Zardari’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) Bilal Sheikh’s murder mystery would remain a mystery as the law enforcers could not move an inch ahead in investigations and no department of the Sindh Police is ready to take charge of Sheikh’s murder probe.
The inability of security agencies in investigating the murder of Sheikh, who served as President Zardari’s CSO for five years, is evident from the fact that it had issued an advertisement in a local newspaper and sought help from public for identification of the suicide bomber. Not only this, the police officers indulged in an ugly debate as to who would investigate Sheikh’s murder case.
45-year-old Bilal Sheikh was killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near his bullet-proof vehicle at Guru Mandir on July 10th when he was busy buying fruits from a road-side stall during the holy month of Ramadan.
The police department had issued an advertisement in a local newspaper on August 7th, almost a month after the incident, and sought help from public for identification of the suicide bomber after failure of the law enforcing agencies in bringing any positive progress in this case.
The public notice was issued by SSP Investigation East. Bilal Sheikh, his driver Irfan Zaidi, fruit vendor Qeemat Khan and a police cop Khushal Khan were killed and many people, including police personnel, were injured when a suicide bomber attacked Sheikh’s motorcade in the jurisdiction of Jamshaid Quarters Police Station. An FIR no 244/13 under section 302, 324, 427/34, 3/4 of Explosives Act and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of Pakistan Panel Code (PPC) of this incident has been lodged in Jamshaid Quarters Police Station.
“Yes it is true that we cannot move an inch ahead in Sheikh’s murder probe,” SSP Investigation East Junaid Ahmed said. “After failure in identifying the suicide bomber, the police department had issued a notice and sought help from public in identification of suicide bomber,” Khan admitted.
“We issued the public notice with a hope that may be anyone who knows the suicide bomber would approach the police but no one has contacted the police in this regard as yet,” Khan said.
“The investigation of Sheikh’s murder case was handed over to Crime Investigation Department (CID),” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) East Captain Tahir Naveed said.
“Every incident which involves explosive is handed over to CID for probe,” the DIG said, adding that, “I have no idea about progress in Sheikh’s murder investigation.”
“The case was not handed over to CID but the department was investigating the incident by itself,” CID Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) chief Chaudhry Aslam, who was demoted to rank of DSP after withdrawing shoulder promotion one-day ago, said. “CID is investigating the case by itself like others investigation agencies but it would be wrong to say that CID has been given responsibility of Sheikh’s murder probe,” he reiterated.