- CJP shows reservation over lack of progress in case, orders police to ensure killer is captured, not killed in encounter
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday expressed reservations over the lack of progress made by the police in the rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab Ameen in Kasur, ordering the police to capture, not kill, the suspected serial killer in an “encounter”.
Hearing the suo moto case of the incident, the CJP also summoned the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the incident in court on Sunday.
As the hearing went underway in front of a three-member SC bench on Tuesday, Punjab Additional Inspector General (AIG) Abubakar Khuda Buksh and Advocate General (AG) appeared in court. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Arif Nawaz, however, was absent from the proceeding owing to departmental duties.
CJP Nisar told the AIG that the hearing could be moved into the chambers if he did not want to reveal aspects of the investigation in the courtroom.
The CJP remarked, “The whole nation is upset over the incident”.
The AIG, replying to the CJP’s queries stated that a time for the arrest of the rapist and murderer could not be provided at the moment and that so far, 1,100 suspects have been interrogated and DNA tests of 400 people have been conducted. The AIG further informed the court that eight similar cases emerged in Kasur since the last year and a half.
The CJP made it clear that the court required assurance that the culprit responsible for Zainab’s death will be arrested.
“I want the criminal to be captured, not killed in an encounter,” the chief justice added.
The chief justice stated that a lag of communication between the police and court could lead to mistakes, adding that the mistakes made in such cases lead to suspects being exonerated due to shoddy investigations.
“If the problem isn’t solved then it’ll be a failure of the government and police,” the chief justice observed.
Addressing the matter of the same case being heard by the Lahore High Court (LHC), the chief justice remarked that high courts do not have suo motu jurisdiction and restrained it from hearing the case.
Chief Justice Nisar then summoned the JIT, formed to probe the incident, at the next hearing on Sunday, which will be heard in the Lahore Registry.
POLICE SUBMIT REPORT IN SC:
Earlier, on January 11, Punjab IGP Arif Nawaz Khan submitted his report to the Supreme Court on the rape and murder of Zainab. Chief Justice of Pakistan had taken suo moto of the case and directed police to submit a report in 24 hours.
The IGP informed the Supreme Court that so far 227 people have been interrogated in the said case.
The province’s top police official also submitted the medical examination report conducted by the Women Medical Centre (WMC), containing details of the victim’s body. The postmortem report, shared with the apex court, said that the Zainab’s body was partially covered in mud and her remains were decayed. The child had also suffered multiple injuries including bone fractures.
“A large number of CCTV footages acquired from various cameras installed on nearby streets were examined by a number of officials when the IT team managed to rummage through and pull out the video footage of the unidentified suspect taking Zainab to the remote area of Peru Wala Road in Kasur,” the report read.
The report also contained details of the measures being taken by the provincial police to trace the culprit. It also informed the court that a sketch of the suspect has been prepared and the announcement of prize money of Rs10 million for anyone who can reveal relevant information about the whereabouts of the suspect.
As per the report, on January 4 at 7:00pm, the minor aged between seven to eight years went for her Holy Quran classes along with her cousin Muhammad Usman, on Road Kot of the city. Usman reached the house of the tutor but the girl did not, said the report.
It added that the tutor presumed that Zainab may have gone back home but was later informed that she had never made it back. Upon finding out about her disappearance, the complainant Muhammad Adnan along with his brother and nephew started searching for her.
Subsequently, the complainant informed rescue 15 at 9:30 pm that he has strong suspicions that his niece had been abducted by unidentified men. Consequently, a case was registered under section 363 PPC, said the report.
The IG informed the court that all efforts were being made to apprehend the suspect. He also assured the court that no stone would be left unturned in order to track down the culprit, adding that the investigation would be led by Punjab’s additional IG investigations.
KASUR INCIDENT SPARKS OUTRAGE:
Zainab, who was the 12th minor victim of rape and murder in Kasur since 2015, went missing on January 4 while heading towards a relative’s home. Her bruised body was found a few days later in a garbage dump in the city.
The news shocked the entire country with #JusticeforZainab becoming the rallying cry while violent protests broke out in Kasur.
Meanwhile, two protesters – Shoaib and Mohammad Ali- were killed by the police after direct firing at the protestors in a bid to disperse the crowd.
At least four agencies — the Counter Terrorism Department, the Intelligence Bureau, the Special Branch and the Punjab Forensic Science Agency — have been seized with the case and each agency has arrested suspects separately while investigating the matter.