Extrajudicial Killings – From Nawab Akbar Bugti to Sahiwal
ISLAMABAD/QUETTA/LAHORE (January 21, 2019): On 26 August 2006, Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti (the head of Bugti tribe in Balochistan) an extremely patriotic Pakistani having been on top government portfolios was killed without a trial without any right to defence by an Army commander on the orders of then Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf (having developed personal grudge with Nawab Bugti) after exploding his hide-out cave, located in Kohlu, about 150 miles east of Quetta.
Many other reported and even more un-reported acts of illegal killings and encounters are being executed by Pakistani Police and other law enforcing and intelligence agencies since the creation of Pakistan.
The newest unfortunate event happened on Saturday (January 19th), when four people – including three members of a family – were killed in an alleged encounter in Sahiwal by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). The victims killed were in a car who neither open any fire at officials, nor were any explosives recovered from the vehicle.
The dead included a man, his wife and their teenage daughter, as well as the driver of the car who, according to the false allegations of CTD, was involved in terrorist acts.
The initial Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report of the Sahiwal killings has placed the blame on CTD officials who opened fire, sources informed “The HeadQuarters Daily” today.
According to sources, the operation was carried out on information received by CTD. The report states that the CTD, in this case, showed criminal negligence and a case should be lodged for this against officials.
Sources further state that the operation in Sahiwal was carried out under CTD Sub-Inspector ‘Safdar Hussain’ while others involved include ‘Ahsan Khan’, ‘Muhammad Ramzan’, ‘Hasnain Akbar’ and ‘Saifullah’.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar announced that the JIT would submit its report by 5 PM on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the observers have raised objections over the conduct of JIT investigators on the case, due to not taking into consideration important pieces of evidence.
The investigators have not yet called forensic experts at the site of the incident to look at what weapon was used and from what direction in the shoot out.
Questions have also raised on why the authorities failed to cordon off the crime scene. The eyewitnesses’ testimony on the case was not taken into account as they refused to visit the authorities at the police line.