SHC sends six policemen on seven-day remand in Naqeebullah Mehsud case

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Saturday sent six policemen on a seven-day physical remand for their alleged involvement in the Naqeebullah Mehsud case.

27-year old Naqeebullah from Waziristan was among the four ‘terrorists’ killed in a ‘police encounter,’ led by the then Malir SSP Rao Anwar, on January 13 in Shah Latif Town, Karachi.

An inquiry committee was formed following the appeals by Naqeebullah’s family, after which an FIR was registered against Anwar and the other officials involved in the said operation, and they were suspended by the government.

All the officials including Anwar went into hiding after that. Sub-Inspector Muhammad Yasin, ASI Farhat Hussain, ASI Allahyar, head constables Khizer Hayat and Muhammad Iqbal, and Constable Arshad Ali were the police officers allegedly involved in the incident.

According to the investigation officer, these policemen were on duty at police stations near Sacchal Goth, the night Naqeebullah and his friends were ‘kidnapped’.

Two friends of Naqeebullah Mehsud’s have come forward to give details about how they, including Naqeebullah, were detained by men in plain clothes.

Ali and Qasim, while speaking to a local media outlet, said that on the night of January 3, all three of them were ‘kidnapped’ by men in plain clothes and were taken to the Sachal police station right away.

They said that after waiting at the police station for around 50 minutes, they were taken to an undisclosed location blindfolded.

Ali remarked that the men took away Naqeeb first and tortured him in such a manner ‘that they could hear him scream.’ He said that after Naqeeb, they tortured the both of them.

They said that after a while they were released, but Naqeeb was separated from them. They also said that the police threatened them to not discuss the incident with anyone else.