KARACHI: The administrative judge of antiterrorism courts on Wednesday remanded a suspect in police custody in a case pertaining to the murder of a 10-year-old girl during a police encounter with suspected robbers.

Amal Umer, who was travelling with her parents in their car, died after she was hit by a bullet fired by a policeman in Defence Housing Authority on the night of Aug 13 during an alleged shootout with suspected street criminals.

On Aug 18, the deputy inspector general of police (South) had conceded that the 10-year-old girl was fatally shot by the firing of police constable Babar Shahzad during a shootout with suspected robbers.

However, the police have not named the constable as an accused in the FIR or remand papers and only nominated the detained suspect, Khalid, his alleged accomplice Shahzad, alias Shan Masih, who was allegedly killed during the encounter, and an unknown absconder as accused in the report produced before the administrative judge of the ATCs, Karachi.

Investigating officer Imdad Ali Khawaja in the report contended that Khalid was arrested on Sept 14 within the limits of the Artillery Maidan police station in some other cases of robbery and illicit weapons. He claimed that during questioning the suspect disclosed his involvement in the killing of the girl after robbing her parents and others.

The report further said that initially the suspect was produced before the court of a judicial magistrate (South) for remand. The magistrate, however, referred the matter to the administrative judge of ATCs on the ground that as the killing of the minor girl at a public place had created fear and insecurity in the people, the crime came within the ambit of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

The IO produced suspect Khalid before the administrative judge in the murder of Amal and in a connecting case of engaging in a shootout with a police party.

He sought the custody of the suspect for further questioning and arrest of his unnamed absconding accomplice.

The administrative judge handed the suspect over to the police on physical remand till Sept 29 and directed the IO to produce him with a progress report on the next date of hearing.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2018