KARACHI, Feb 10: The over 17-month long suspension of a former chief of the defunct Lyari Task Force (LTF) has come to an end as the Sindh police chief has made him the head of a specialised unit of the Karachi police.

SP Mohammad Aslam Khan, commonly known as Chaudhry Aslam, the former LTF chief, was suspended with other members of his team and jailed in August 2006 for killing a labourer, Rasool Bux Brohi, in a police-staged encounter. He was bailed out by the Sindh High Court on Dec 24.

A special unit — Specialist Crime Unit (SCU) — was created in the Karachi police through a notification issued on Saturday by the office of the Sindh provincial police officer (PPO) and SP Khan was made its head as his suspension was already ended by the PPO. He joined the new unit on Sunday.

“The SCU has been formed to investigate high-profile cases relating to terrorism, robberies and any other serious matters,” Capital City Police Officer Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui told Dawn. “According to its charter, the unit may also be assigned investigations of those cases which remain unsolved,” he added.

He said the SCU would work directly under him because the whole city fell in the jurisdiction of the new unit.

However, sources in the police department said that though the new unit was authorised to take action anywhere in the city, it was formed and SP Khan was given the new assignment keeping in view his expertise in busting criminal gangs in Lyari.

The sources said that during his tenure as LTF chief, he had controlled lawlessness in Lyari but after his suspension and subsequent imprisonment, the situation became volatile in that locality.

They did not rule out political pressure behind the creation of the new unit and posting of SP Khan as its head.

The sources said that a top authority of the province was taking great interest in the early release of the jailed officials of the defunct LTF. The authority was also behind the reinstatement of SP Khan, DSP Irfan Bahadur and other officials facing trial in the Brohi murder case.

They disclosed that the first assignment given to SP Khan’s unit was to arrest notorious criminals Rehman Dakait and Ghaffar Zikri, responsible for the Lyari gang war.

It may be noted that the LTF had earlier arrested Rehman Dakait, but he escaped after the suspension and arrest of SP Khan and his subordinates. But, the arrest and escape of Dakait was never acknowledged officially.

Meanwhile, acting on the assignment, SP Khan’s unit sped up their efforts in Lyari and on Sunday held two criminals belonging to Ghaffar Zikri’s group.

Police arrested Jamal and Imran on Sunday night after an encounter in the Chakiwara area. A stolen car, a Kalashnikov and two TT pistols were seized from them.