Police reluctant to investigate murder of father of four despite court orders

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Bashir Ahmad Bangash, the sole breadwinner of a family of six, went to work at excise office in Islamabad on February 15, 2016 and didn’t see the faces of his family and friends again. As next day, his dead body was found near the CDA graveyard. The circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery as he was apprehended the same day during a raid conducted by police and excise department in the premises of excise office in H-9.

Bashir, a father of four, worked as a ‘motor agent’, he facilitated people in getting their cars registered, transferred and renewal of tokens etc. His dead body was found the next day by an officer of Intelligence Bureau near the H-11 and was later sent to his village after post-mortem.

His relatives accused CIA SP Captain Ilyas and I-9 SHO Akram Nagra, and said that they were facilitated by Excise and Taxation Director Maryam Mumtaz, PA to Director Yameen, and acting ETO Malik Amrooz.

At first, the police declined to file an FIR but later on they filed an application under section 22-A in the court of Sessions Judge, Islamabad West. The judge ordered the police to file an FIR against the SHO Akram Nagra. The order, however, makes no mention of others officials implicated by his relatives in the murder of Bashir Bangash.

The brother in law of the deceased took their plea to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and filed a writ petition titled Hasan Mansoor vs IGP Islamabad, G-11 SSP, Chief Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, CIA SP and others for the modification of decision order passed by additional session judge.

The learned Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of IHC ordered a registration of fresh FIR and directed the investigating agency to proceed with the case strictly in accordance with the law.

However, Hasan Mansoor alleges that the concerned inquiry officer Ashiq Hussain of PS Industrial Area is pressurising him not to pursue the case and take it back as the parties involved are influential and powerful.

When contacted for a comment, SI Ashiq Hussain said that he has not told any such thing to the relatives of the deceased. When asked about any headway on the investigation, he replied: “The inquiry is under progress and law will take its due course and we’ll investigate the matter without fear or favour of any party”.