KARACHI: Baloch leader was killed after police withdrawal
By Arman Sabir
KARACHI, Jan 9: The killing of renowned Baloch leader Anwar Bhaijan took place after the withdrawal of the police and other law enforcement agencies from the Kalakot locality where they had been deployed for a crackdown on criminals
operating in certain areas of Lyari Town.
According to well-placed sources in the police department the abrupt withdrawal of police from the volatile locality was prompted by a row which had developed between some officials within the department over the decision to put off the implementation of the promotion orders pertaining to three officials working for the team of Lyari operation.
Residents of the area, who witnessed the withdrawal, said that the law enforcement agencies disappeared all of a sudden at around 11pm on Friday from certain parts of Lyari.
Anwar Bhaijan, Chief of the Baloch Ittehad Tehrik, was returning home at around 1:15am (Friday-Saturday night) along with his friends when unidentified armed men intercepted him near Gharib Shah Mazar in Kalakot and shot him dead.
Lyari has remained disturbed for the past many months due to a tussle between two criminal groups, one led by Rehman Dakait and the other by Arshad Pappu. A number of criminals belonging to both the groups have so far been killed in the rivalry.
Keeping in view the deteriorating law and order, the police high-ups decided to launch an operation in the area against the gangs. Many town police officers have been replaced and different tactics applied for the arrest of the key members of the groups. However, the 'experienced police officers' have still been trying to catch the big fish.
In a recent development, SSP Mir Zubair Mehmood was given the command of the Lyari operation to root out criminals, mainly those belonging to the two notorious gangs.
On January 1, the Shershah police, along with the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee, co-incidentally arrested the brother of the most-wanted Arshad Pappu. Before his arrest, it was not known that the suspect was the brother of the notorious criminal.
The police in collaboration with CPLC on January 1, arrested two extortionists following an encounter in Shershah. One of them later turned out to be brother of Arshad Pappu. He was identified as Sher Mohammad alias Shera, wanted in many criminal cases.
The sources said that Lyari operation team reportedly tried to take the credit of the arrest and informed the superiors about the arrest of Pappu's brother. The police high-ups announced promotions for the officials mentioned in the recommendations sent by the chief of the Lyari operation.
The sources said that some officials complained to the high-ups that those who had arrested Pappu's brother were not accorded appreciation and, instead, those who had nothing to do with the arrest, were rewarded.
An inquiry into the whole affair was held and some foul play was noted. Ultimately, the implementation of promotion orders had been stopped and a secret inquiry into the matter was initiated.
This has perturbed the police team entrusted with the Lyari operation. The team halted the operation immediately in protest against the decision of the high-ups, the sources claimed.
According to the sources, all wireless messages were on record and the complainant himself was the witness that who was with him. The police high-ups were neither informed nor taken into confidence before the abrupt withdrawal of police force from Lyari.
