Two witnesses on Wednesday identified six Rangers among seven men, accused of the extrajudicial killing of Sarfaraz Shah, before Judicial Magistrate (JM)-South Nadeem Badar during an identification parade. Police presented the Rangers – sub-inspector Bahadur Rehman, Lance Naik Liaquat Ali, Minthar Ali, Muhammad Tariq, Muhammad Afzal and Shahid Zafar – and Afsar Khan before the JM-South for the identification parade.
The witnesses recorded their statements, saying that the accused men were involved in the murder. They informed the court that Afsar Khan had handed Sarfaraz Shah over to the Rangers and Shahid Zafar then shot Sarfaraz Shah. They said that Sarfaraz Shah was pleading for his life, but none of the accused men helped him. The witnesses told the court that they were unaware if the deceased had committed a robbery at the park.
After recording the statements of the witnesses, the court adjourned the hearing. In the next hearing, the accused men would record their statements before the trial court. Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-West Sultan Khwaja had brought the accused men before the court amid tight security. Later, the accused men were produced before Sindh High Court Administrative Judge Justice Maqbool Baqar who extended the accused men’s remand until June 17. The investigation team had produced the accused before the court and requested to extend their remand for further interrogation, and the court granted their request.
It must be noted here that after the suo motu notice of the incident by Supreme Court, an investigation team was formed that was headed by the DIG. Police had amended the First Information Report against the Rangers personnel and added Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act to it, so the case is now under trial at the anti-terrorism court as well. Police have registered three different cases of the incident: two cases against the murdered man (one of snatching valuables from Afsar Khan’s friend, the security guard of the park, and another of possessing an illegal weapon) and one case against the six Rangers men.
In the first case registered by the government on the complaint of Afsar Khan, the stance was taken that the accused tried to commit a robbery, whereas the other case was registered against him for carrying an illegal weapon.
Meanwhile, the third case was registered on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Salik Shah, against the Rangers.
According to the prosecution, the young man was killed in broad daylight and the incident of his killing at the hands of the Rangers came into light when the video showing the incident was aired on news channels.
Six personnel of the Pakistan Rangers-Sindh were deputed outside the park where the killing took place.
The Rangers rounded on 22-year-old Sarfaraz Shah in the city’s most exclusive neighbourhood of Clifton, claiming he had tried to rob a policeman’s family.
The park where Sarfaraz Shah was shot dead is named after the assassinated former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, whose family home is located in Clifton.
