Hyderabad encounter becomes a hard pill to swallow

ISLAMABAD: A police encounter done in January this year in Hyderabad has become a hard pill to swallow for the police department because the relatives of the deceased blame personal rivalry with a senior police officer which led to the encounter.
Police have all the documentary evidence to justify the encounter including murder and kidnap for ransom FIRs on the deceased and that the department had recommended head money on the murdered but serious questions are being raised on alleged involvement of scion of a top police officer who allegedly wanted a plot owned by the deceased and upon refusal, a plethora of FIRs was lodged against the deceased subsequently resulting in his encounter. The Sindh High Court has also been moved to order impartial inquiry into the said encounter.
Details reveal that one Shoban Jamali was arrested from Badin in January and was brought to Qasimabad, Hyderabad and encountered. In the wake of the Rangers’ operation in Karachi, it was also dubbed as purely a merited encounter in which a criminal was killed, however, the family of the deceased blame a senior police officer whose son wanted a plot from them and when he was refused, a stage was set for the encounter.
Shoban Jamali’s mother accuses son of a senior police officer of Sindh for allegedly murdering her son and later in order to prolong the reign of terror, more than a dozen houses of the relatives of the deceased were demolished and their property was occupied.
In an exclusive interview with The News in Interior Sindh, Zar Gul, the aggrieved mother, blamed that her son was innocent and was killed by Hyderabad Police in a fake encounter due to property dispute of her son Shoban with son of a senior police officer.
The accused is famous for buying Rs40,000 prize bonds in Hyderabad. Zar Gul requested Chief Justice of Pakistan for impartial inquiry from any federal law enforcing agency regarding the murder of her son and subsequent demolishing of houses and occupation of their properties. Besides her interview, Zar Gul has also written applications for justice to higher authorities including Chief Justice of Pakistan, chief justice of the Sindh High Court, DG Rangers and others. In her application, she requested for an open and impartial inquiry by any federal investigation agency regarding all matters including the murder of her son.
Zar Gul submitted that her son Shoban Jamali, 48, was a small scale businessman and estate broker in Qasimabad, Hyderabad and he had some disputes with his nephews over some property issues which according to her were about to settle and in this regard her son also had approached the chief of Jamali clan and former prime minister Zafarullah Jamali, but the son of a senior police officer of Sindh took advantage of their family disputes and his position as son of police officer and managed to lodge many fake cases against Shoban.
Zar Gul blamed that on January 19, a police party of Hyderabad district headed by Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Aslam Langah and others raided a house in Badin and arrested Shoban in presence of many villagers and area people and within hours, he was killed in a fake police encounter.
According to Zar Gul, the son of police officer had directed Shoban to hand over his commercial plot in Qasimabad free of cost but he refused to hand over his property. She alleged that the son of police officer threatened Shoban for dire consequences and resultantly he son was murdered by police.
Zar Gul has also filed a constitutional petition in the SHC requesting the court to order impartial inquiry into the encounter. Zar Gul also requested the authorities for strict action against the police officers who have demolished her and other relatives’ houses.
IG Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali while talking to The News said that he was aware of the encounter because a known criminal of Qasimabad area was killed in police action. He mentioned that Shoban was proclaimed offender involved in murder, arson and kidnap for ransom cases. He said that he was not aware of involvement of son of a police officer in the said encounter and that it was done on merit under supervision of senior police officers who risked their lives to arrest such a hardcore criminal and resultantly he was killed in the encounter. He said that there arises no question of involvement of scion of any police officer because he is sitting at the top and is ensuring establishment of rule of law in the province.
Irfan Baloch, SSP Hyderabad, when contacted, said that Shoban was a hardcore criminal wanted in many murder and kidnap for ransom and land grabbing FIRs. He said that the police department had moved a summary of Rs500,000 head money for the said criminal. He ruled out involvement of son of senior police officer behind the encounter and mentioned that the said son of police officer was actually helping the family of those whose man was killed by Shoban, therefore after the encounter the opposite party wants to politicise the issue. He said that the plot, for which the son of a police officer is being blamed, is still vacant and no one has constructed anything on it after so many months.
Nisar Channa advocate, who has filed the constitutional petition in the SHC, when contacted, said that the country is a police state and no one dares to challenge the police. He said that the mother of Shoban has knocked the doors of the SHC but because of fear of police not a single person was ready to accompany her. He said that the court has been requested to order impartial inquiry into the encounter that weather the encounter is real or a fake one.
A local politician of Qasimabad, Mehboob Abro while talking to The News said that the entire Hyderabad knows who is behind this murder. He said that there are eyewitnesses who have seen that Shoban was picked up from Badin and was killed in Qasimabad by police. He mentioned that if anyone dares to challenge the police, the next day he wakes up to face several FIRs against him.