–Court tells JIT to wrap up probe in two months, seeks interim report in three weeks
“It seems the law enforcement agencies are helpless before land and water mafia,” said a Supreme Court judge on Tuesday, censuring the LEA officials for failing to solve the murder case of social worker Perween Rahman even after a lapse of six years.
“This matter is turning into a mystery,” remarked Justice Ijazul Ahsan, part of the three-member SC bench. headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, hearing the case.
Babar Bakht Qureshi, head of the joint investigation team, told the court there was no major development in the case, seeking more time and sought more time in this regard.
“Since the murder was committed six years ago, the JIT could not obtain any data through geofencing,” he apprised the bench.
Justice Ahsan told Qureshi that the JIT had been constituted because law enforcement agencies were not doing their job.
“What are law enforcement agencies doing since 2013? Are these mafias out of their reach?” asked Justice Ahsan.
“Mafias have killed people who are involved in social work,” said Justice Bandial.
The court granted Qureshi two months to wrap up the investigation and directed him to submit an interim report in three weeks.
On March 13, 2013, Rehman was commuting to her office in her car when men on motorbikes approached her and opened fire. She was immediately taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
She was a vocal activist working against land and water mafia in the city.
Five men – Abdul Raheem Swati, his son Mohammad Imran Swati, Amjad Hussain Khan, Ayaz Shamzai alias Swati, and Ahmed Khan alias Ahmed Ali alias Pappu Kashmiri were charged for the murder.
