KARACHI, March 23: Family members of the siblings, who had fallen victim to police firing on March 20 in North Nazimabad, have claimed being harassed and pressured by the police. They told Dawn on Thursday that the police were forcing them to withdraw the case and keep quiet.
They further claimed that the police had earlier threatened them with dire consequences if they turned up to claim the bodies. “It was for this reason that we initially stayed away and kept a low profile,” said Ali Ayaz, son of the deceased, Feroz.
Ayaz said: “They still keep visiting our house to harass and force us to withdraw the case and cooperate with them.”
It maybe recalled that a police mobile of ‘Madadgar 15’ had opened fire at the car carrying the family. Feroz and his sister Sabia were killed while Feroz’s brother Bhoula and daughter Ifsana were injured in the shooting. The family was returning from Imambargah Zainul Abedin.
The family said they lived in the city for the past 40 years and held valid ID cards and passports.
For the last 10 years, the family resides in Tariq Bin Ziyad Society, Malir.
Meanwhile, the two bodies were handed over to the family on Thursday as police issued the release letter.
According to the family, the bodies, at present kept at the Edhi’s cold storage, would be sent to Iran later.
A murder case vide FIR No. 122/06 against unknown killers was registered at the Taimuria police station on behalf of the state.
On Tuesday, three policemen, head-constables Liaquat and Shaukat and constable Shahid, were sent behind the bars. Police said that ASI Abdullah was absconding.
The policemen had maintained that they had been chasing bandits and there was an exchange of fire with them and that the family was caught in crossfire.
Sources said that area people witnessed that the police shot dead the civilians. People gathered at the scene late in the night and pelted vehicles with stones. They lit bonfire and when police arrived to bring the situation under control, the angry people roughed them up.
Soon after the shooting, the ‘Madadgar 15’ team had disappeared from the scene and people had rushed the victims to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The bodies were later shifted to the Rizvia Imambargah but no family member had turned up to receive the same that night. On Tuesday morning, the bodies were sent to the Edhi’s cold storage.
Police said that the family possessed dual nationality of Iran and Pakistan, and resided in Shah Faisal Colony as shown in the papers of their car.
