Naqeebullah case: SHC sends six policemen on seven-day remand

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court sent on Saturday six policemen on a seven-day physical remand for their involvement in alleged kidnapping and torture of Naqeebullah Mehsud and his friends.

Naqeebullah, a 27-year-old native of Waziristan, was among four suspected terrorists killed in an ‘exchange of fire’ with a police team led by the then-Malir SSP Rao Anwar on January 13 in Shah Latif Town, Karachi.

Following claims of innocence from Naqeebullah's family, an inquiry committee was formed, after which Anwar and the raiding police party officials went into hiding. An FIR was registered against Anwar and his associates, owing to their no-show and alleged involvement in the case.

The investigating officer remarked that the policemen were involved in kidnapping and torture of Naqeebullah and his friends. The policemen have been identified as Sub-Inspector Muhammad Yasin, ASI Farhat Hussain, ASI Allahyar, head constables Khizer Hayat and Muhammad Iqbal, and Constable Arshad Ali.

According to the IO, the policemen were deployed at police stations near Sacchal Goth and Super Highway the night Naqeebullah and his friends were ‘picked up’. 

The police had sought a 14-day remand of the suspects, the IO shared. 

Naqeeb’s friends share details of ‘police brutality’

Two friends of Naqeebullah Mehsud, who was shot dead in an alleged extrajudicial killing, have come forward and detailed the harrowing story of being detained by men in plain clothes.

Ali and Qasim, while speaking to Geo News, shared that they became friends with Naqeebullah via social media website, Facebook.

On January 3, the friends were out together when they were ‘picked up’ by men in plain clothes in evening, shared Ali. “We were taken to Sachhal police station first. We waited for 50 minutes, then a cloth was tied to our eyes and we were taken to an undisclosed location.”

Ali remarked: “We could hear that they took Naqeeb first and he was being tortured. We could hear his screams. After Naqeeb, the men came towards us and started to beat us up.”

Qasim shared that the men also checked Naqeebullah’s messages on their mobile phones.

“After some time we were let go but Naqeeb had been separated from us. The police threatened to not discuss the incident with anyone else,” Qasim added.