THIS is with reference to news report ‘New IGP assures Osama’s family of justice’ (Jan 10). One hopes that will be done. It was a heart-wrenching incident in Islamabad on Jan 2 in the early hours of that fateful Saturday which triggered panic across the country. A 22-year-old student, Osama Satti, was shot dead in indiscriminate firing by five officials of the capital police’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) while he was returning from H-11 after dropping off his friend.

According to police officials, they had received a tip-off that some robbers had committed a robbery in H-13 and had fled in a white car. Acting on the tip-off, they mistook Osama’s car as that of the alleged robbers, and opened fire in which the young man died on the spot. However, according to the victim’s father, Osama earlier had a quarrel with CTD officials who had warned him of dire consequences.

Surprisingly, even after CTD officials confessed to killing an innocent person, the news aired on electronic media stated ‘CTD officials had killed a terrorist’. We are no stranger to such incidents. It appears that police officials are aping the tactics the Indians troops use against Kashmiris in the occupied valley.

This incident also bears grim resemblance to the Sahiwal killings in which four people were gunned down by CTD officials, including three from the same family.

Osama’s sudden death has raised many points to ponder for all concerned. Lawlessness in the country is not going down. How long will we carry the bodies of young people on our shoulders? Will the culprits be released like the culprits of Sahiwal incident? Will the bereaved family ever get justice?

Such unfortunate incidents happening right under the government’s nose in the federal capital put a question mark on the credibility of state institutions.

This extrajudicial killing needs to be condemned by one and all. I urge the government to take serious, strict and deterrent action against the culprits. If the courts are unable to deliver speedy justice for any reason, the matter should immediately be referred to a military court so that the culprits may be punished after a speedy investigation.

Irfan Ali Qazi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2021