KARACHI, July 18: Leaders of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and other religious organisations, including the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, met the Karachi police chief at the central police office on Thursday to lodge their protest over the killing ‘in an encounter’ of an ASWJ activist on Wednesday.

The officer ‘promised’ to look into the matter and order an inquiry into the shooting involving police officials.

“The gesture of Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo convinced us to postpone a sit-in protest we had planned to hold outside the CPO on I. I. Chundrigar Road,” said Maulana Akbar Saeed Farooqi of the ASWJ. “The leaders of some half a dozen religious parties led by the ASWJ’s Dr Muhammad Fayyaz informed Mr Thebo in detail about the credentials of Bashir Leghari, saying he was just an area leader of the Deoband Action Committee, looking after administrative issues of mosques.”

During the discussion, he said, the leaders also protested over the killing of ASWJ worker Muhammad Farhan, who died from ‘CID police torture’ two days after he was arrested and implicated in the murders of MQM MPA Sajid Qureshi and his young son and government college principal Prof Sibt-i-Jafar.

“We have only postponed our protest as we trust the Karachi police would take action or at least order an inquiry into the killing of Bashir Leghari by police. Otherwise, we will be justified in lodging a protest,” he added.

Two remanded in custody

A judicial magistrate remanded on Thursday two suspects in police custody in illicit weapons and attempted murder cases.

The police claimed to have arrested Mohammad Muavia Leghari and Qari Amin in Surjani Town on July 16 after an encounter and alleged that they were involved in an attack on the convoy of Justice Maqbool Baqar, senior puisne judge of the Sindh High Court.

The suspects were produced before the court of a judicial magistrate (west) in unlicensed weapons and encounter/attempted murder cases for remand.

The court handed the suspects over to police on physical remand till July 25.

The police also claimed that Mr Muavia’s father Bashir Leghari was the prime suspect in the case and he sustained injuries during a shootout and later died in hospital.

They were booked under Sections 324 (attempt to commit murder), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Arms Ordinance at the Surjani Town police station.

The driver of the senior judge and eight police guards were killed in a bomb blast on June 26 on Burnes Road near the Sindh High Court and Justice Baqar was also wounded in the attack. However, the police have yet to produce the suspects before an anti-terrorism court in a bomb blast case for remand.