Karachi Police botches it up, yet again

KARACHI: The Karachi Police are once again bracing up to add another chapter of infamy in their records through botched-up investigations.

It has been reported that a JIT was set up to investigate the murder of Major Saqib in June, at the M A Jinnah Road near a famous eatery, while resisting a street urchin. In a matter of two days, the relevant army outfit picked up four suspects Noman, Abdul Shakoor, Wajahat and Umar Farooq. The prime suspect was Noman who under pressure of the interrogators admitted to involvement in the murder.

“Luckily for him, the officers of the army outfit realised that Noman confessed after becoming psychologically crumbled.” All the young suspects belonged to Jackson area near Keamari, which is more of a ghetto and the boys were typical street urchins trying to carve some decency in their lives through earning daily wages. “The army officers concluded that it was the case of Noman and rest of the boys being at a wrong place at the wrong time.”

After thorough investigations and background checks, they were let off. They must have thought that the torment was over. But the stars did not glitter in their favour that day. While they were picking pieces of their lives together in October, the Jackson Police on a tip off arrested them again on the same charges. In just two days, they broke the boys and made some respected senior officers address a press conference, claiming they have got the killers of Major Saqib.

This looks more like a case of gross injustice to the victims’ family and to the suspects whose lives will be scarred forever. The JIT constituted to investigate the case has already cleared Noman, Abdul Shakoor, Omar Farooq and Wajahat. “Their findings are the same as that of the army outfit that earlier investigated the case; Noman’s confession is a result of his weak psychological make-up.

They have nothing to do with the crime.” The four had gone to have Nihari across the road and ended up at the famous sweet shop near the crime spot on the fateful hour. They had left in the nick of time, before the incident happened. But then the shoddy investigations are not helped by new buildings and this is also not the only infamy.

The callous, blood chilling cowboy style firing practice the cops do in the name of encounters is another chapter in the ill fame of the Sindh Police. On Friday, the police killed one and injured another in a trigger happy fashion. Last August a 10-year old child Amal was killed when she was struck by police gunfire. A raging storm of protest stirred the conscience of some and the Supreme Court ordered revision of police firing procedures. Nothing happened even then.

All this prompts a bitter criticisim of the force. The police reforms mean nothing if a common man has to feel he is carrying a target painted on his back every time he gets out on the streets of Karachi.

The security of tenure of top cops would not help either. Even the new proposed uniform would not help improve the functioning. It is a tragic comic affairs of things, because it hurts too much to cry. New building complexes to house investigation staff would not help unless there is a bottom up review of the investigation and police practices. The police cases hardly cut ice with prosecutors and courts and the errant as like in the Major Saqib case would benefit and vanish in thin air, not to be caught in midst of mistaken pride and haughtiness of uniformed officers. Mathew 5:5 says the meek shall inherit the earth!!!