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KARACHI The home secretary and the provincial and city police chiefs were put on notice on Tuesday by the Sindh High Court in a petition seeking an inquiry by a high court judge into the killing of Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch, better known as Rehman Dakait.
The Sindh government, through the home secretary, the Provincial Police Officer (PPO), the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Karachi, and the SHO of the Steel Town police station were impleaded as respondents in the petition filed by Baloch's widow, Farzana, who submitted that her husband, along with three others, was killed in a 'fake police encounter'.
Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany adjourned the proceedings till Oct 27 and ordered the respondents to appear in court on the next date of hearing.
The petitioner, represented by Advocates Abdul Mujeeb Pirzada and Syed Khalid Shah, submitted that her husband enjoyed a reputation of a well-known social worker of Lyari, as he had established peace committees and built schools, parks and a clinic for the welfare of the people of the mafia-infested locality.
Besides, she said, Rehman Baloch also re-opened the Mujahid Park, which was being used by drug traffickers, and the foundation-laying ceremony was attended by MNA Nabeel Gabol and MPA Rafique Engineer along with him.
The widow submitted that the popularity of her husband was considered a hurdle by some politicians as well as the bureaucracy who were determined to eliminate him.
She stated that Rehman Baloch had gone to Turbat, Balochistan, to have a business meeting with his friends - Aurangzeb Baloch, a transporter, Nazeer Baloch, a business partner, and Aqeel Ahmed Baloch, a shoe dealer - who were also killed in what she described as the fake police encounter.
The petitioner stated that the four friends left Turbat for Karachi at around 12noon on Aug 9 in a black Toyota Corolla. She said that she remained in contact with her husband by cellular phone on his way to Karachi. However, her communication with her husband became disconnected after he, along with his three friends, was detained by police before they could reach Zero Point on the Coastal Highway, she added.
Baloch's widow submitted that the relatives of Aurangzeb and the wife of Nazeer also lost contact with the victims after they were detained near Zero Point.
She said that all four victims were intercepted by the police on Aug 9, 2009 between 5pm and 5.30pm near Zero Point on the Coastal Highway and they were subsequently 'kidnapped and kept somewhere else'.
The petitioner submitted that the four friends were killed on the night of Aug 10, 2009 in a fake encounter at a place near the Steel Town police station.
She relied on an electronic ticket of PIA to prove that Aurangzeb had travelled to Turbat on a airline's flight on Aug 9, 2009 and the four victims were picked up on their way to Karachi, detained by the police and killed on the night of Aug 10.
Besides, the petitioner said, according to the post-mortem report, the victims were shot from a range of four to five feet. This fact excluded the possibility of an alleged encounter, as an encounter never took place at such a close range, she argued.
The widow prayed to the court to appoint a judge of the SHC to conduct an inquiry into what she described as the extra-judicial killing of the four victims.
She also prayed to the court to direct the SHO of the Steel Town police station to entertain her FIR and direct the home secretary, the PPO and the CCPO to assign the investigation of the case to DIG A.D. Khawaja.
The widow also prayed to the court to direct the respondents to ensure protection to her and other relatives.
