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LAHORE, Aug 4: More people have been killed in the past seven months in ‘shootouts’ between police and alleged criminals than over the preceding two years.
The present government had condemned the allegedly fake ‘encounters’ of Sharif era and Law Minister Dr Khalid Ranjha has repeatedly said the practice would not be allowed.
According to newspaper reports, 73 alleged criminals have been killed so far this year in 36 incidents, most of them in southern Punjab. The casualties include eight police officials and two passers-by.
According to a Human Rights Commission of Pakistan report 32 alleged criminals were killed in encounters with the police last year.
The Multan police have led the way with 15 shootouts. There have been nine incidents in Lahore and seven in Faisalabad.
SUSPECT CLAIMS: According to newspaper reports, genuineness of the encounters has been suspect in view of the available evidence. In several cases it was claimed that the alleged criminals had been in police custody.
In one of the more recent incidents three proclaimed offenders, including Shahbaz, described by the police as an ‘extortion king’ were killed by Lahore Cantonment police. While Law Minister Rana Ijaz Ahmad Khan has ordered an inquiry into the incident, the governor has announced a Rs25,000 reward for each of the six policemen involved. According to newspaper reports the POs had been arrested a week ago.
The stories fed by some police officials to the newspapers about some of the encounters have also contributed to the doubts. Multan police, for example, claimed that it had chased and shot four dacoits when they did not stop at a police pickets. “All the dacoits were riding bicycles.”
According to another story, two men who had robbed a wedding party in Jhang, committed suicide when the police surrounded the place.
ENCOUNTER-FRIENDLY: Some police officers have come to be associated with encounters on account of the spurts of such incidents during their posting in the Punjab, particularly Lahore. They include former IGs Rana Maqbool and Jehanzab Burki, former SSPs Haji Habibur Rahman, Ahmad Raza Tahir and Zulfiqar Cheema, Vehari SP Javed Shah, Crimes Branch SPs Shafqaat Ahmad and Aslam Sahi and DSPs Masood Aziz and Omer Virk.
Former inspectors Abid Boxer, Naveed Saeed and Rana Haseeb Anjum, Inspectors Imtiaz Ahmad Bhalli and Mian Shafqat Ali and Sub-Inspector Bashir Niazi are prominent among those having a reputation for suspect encounters.
DENIAL: District Police Officer Javed Noor denied that most of the encounters were faked.
Talking to Dawn on Saturday, he said a shootout between police and criminals could take place any time. As such, he said, the annual statistics could not be compared. He denied also that the police had been instructed to kill criminals.
The following is a chronology of police encounters in the Punjab this year:
Jan 1: The Kasur CIA staff shoot dead one Anwar, a proclaimed offender.
Jan 3: Rafiq and Ashiq Husain are killed in Meerwala, Multan. The deceased were wanted in several murder and dacoity cases.
Jan 4: Multan police kill a man on Bosan Road. The deceased was accused of car-snatching.
Jan 5: Multan police kill an alleged dacoit, Zubair alias Dr Asim.
Jan 6: Ferozewala police shoot dead a proclaimed offender, Riaz. Riaz was wanted in several cases involving crimes in Lahore, Kasur and Faisalabad districts.
Jan 8: Five proclaimed offenders are killed in four incidents in Multan and Sheikhupura. In all four cases, the offenders were said to be fleeing after looting shops.
Jan 7: SHO Rab Nawaz is shot, allegedly by a proclaimed offender, in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Jan 8: Two proclaimed offenders and a constable are killed in a shootout in Kasur.
Lahore Defence police shoot Javed, a proclaimed offender. The police claim he had committed countless robberies and killed several people including some policemen.
Jan 12: Sheikhupura police shoot dead one Manzoor, a proclaimed offender, in a raid. Manzoor was required in 16 cases of heinous crime.
Jan 31: Police kill Muhammad Aslam on Kasur Road, allegedly in the act of looting people on the highway.
Feb 2: Sheikhupura police shoot dead a youth, Tahir Mahmood. Police say he refused to be taken to the police station after being stopped at a picket.
An man, allegedly a robber, is killed and the Iqbal Town, Lahore, SHO injured in a shootout.
Feb 13: Six proclaimed offenders and three policemen, including a DSP, are killed in Jahanian. Police claim the encounter went on for 10 hours.
Feb 21: Two proclaimed offenders are killed in a shootout with the police in Sahiwal.
Feb 27: Four men are killed in an encounter with the Sarghoda police. The police claim they were wanted in 30 cases of murder and hundreds of cases of dacoity and robbery.
March 5: A constable is killed in a shootout with three robbers in Sialkot.
March 24: Robbers shoot dead a constable in Jhang on being signalled to stop.
March 28: Sialkot police shoot dead a proclaimed offender.
April 9: Jaranwala police kill a local councillor’s father in a raid to his house to arrest his son, allegedly a dacoit.
Two men were killed in a encounter with the Jhang police. Police say they were robbers.
April 20: Four men, identified as Tanvir Butt, Sarwar, Kaka and Irfan and described as criminals, are killed in a shootout with the police in Sheikhupura. The SHO, Inspector Ishaq, is also killed in the incident.
April 25: Okara police register a case against SI Mehar Muhammad and Constable Muhammad Asghar for killing a proclaimed offender’s brother in a fake encounter.
May 5: Sadiqabad police kill one Abdul Wahid Lathani in a shootout. He is described as a robber.
May 16: Mian Channu police kill two proclaimed offenders Shabbir and Allah Yar Hiraj.
May 24: Six proclaimed offenders, identified as Ali, Iftikhar, Shahzad Shada, Irfan, Shabbir and Shahzad Kalu, and a girl, Misbah, are killed in a shootout with Sialkot police. Police say the POs were fleeing on a donkey cart and two motorcycles.
June 2: Three men, Tariq, Salahuddin and Shahid, are gunned down by Multan police, reportedly in a staged encounter. The police say they were robbers.
June 5: Four men riding bicycles are shot dead by the police in Multan. Police say they were dacoits.
June 8: Sialkot police kill a proclaimed offender, Farooq, in a shootout.
June 25: Lakki Marwat police kill one Abdullah Khan, allegedly a dacoit also wanted by the NWFP police.
July 2: Lahore police kill four bearded men in an encounter on Bund Road. They were suspected to be activists of some banned militant group.
July 3: A constable and an informer are killed in a shootout with dacoits on Ravi Road, Lahore.
The Lahore Police arrest a man accused of dacoity and shoot him dead.
July 20: The Lahore Cantonment police shoot dead three proclaimed offenders including Shahbaz.
July 28: Six men, including four arrested in connection with the Church attack in Islamabad, are shot dead by police in Rahim Yar Khan. Nine policemen are also injured.
July 29: Three men are killed in a shootout with Vehari police at Mauza Pir Shah. They are accused of dacoity and kidnap.
