Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young man named Mehmood Ahmed Kharani has been killed by the police in a fake encounter. Additionally, policemen have abducted Mehmood’s elder brother, Daud Kharani, on 19 May 2014 for not paying the extortion amount and for not robbing the petrol station where he was working. Since then, his whereabouts are unknown. A case of murder has been filed against a police head constable but high officials of the Jacobabad District, Sindh Province have provided the constable shelter at the residence of a Superintendent of Police (SP). District police is pressurizing the father of the victims to withdraw the case from the High Court, threatening that he too will be killed. The police head constable, the alleged killer of Mehmood Ahmed Kharani, and the constable’s wife, are also facing cases of abduction and ransom in other cases, and courts have declared them absconders for not attending those proceedings. The case of extrajudicial killing against the police officials was filed after the telephone calls from two federal ministers including an interior minister and a big agitation by the citizens of the city.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Mr. Mehmood Ahmed Kharani, 26, son of Tahir Ali Kharani, resident of Goth Lakhmir, Jacobabad District, Sindh Province, was working at a highway gas station. He used to go back home in the late hours on his motorcycle after completing his work. At that time, a police party under Head Constable Abdul Malik Khoso used to set up to extort money from passersby. The Head Constable would sometimes snatch the money at the time of checking. Mehmood had many a time quarreled with the head constable, particularly when head constable was asking Mehmood to tell him when the cash from the petrol station goes to bank and how. Mehmood was told to help in conducting a robbery at the station, and that the police and he would split the booty.
Mehmood, however, refused to help. Mehmood also filed an application in the Sindh High Court, Larkana Bench, on 6 March 2014 against officials of the Saddar Police Station, which was particularly about the criminal activities of Head Constable Khoso. The case is still in Court.
Mehmood was considered as a brave young man always resisting police atrocities against the poor and rural people. The case infuriated police officers and they used different methods to pressurize Mehmood. On 19 May 2014, the Saddar police arrested Mehmood under 13/D of PPC for allegedly keeping illegal arms. Mehmood was tortured at the Saddar Police Station and when he did agree to withdraw the case under the pain of torture, Head Constable Khoso, along with three other officials, arrested Mehmood’s elder brother, Daud Kharani. They kept Daud as hostage to ensure themselves a good deal.
The police then asked the family of the victims to provide Pak Rupees 20,000 as bribe for the release of Mehmood and Daud. However, the family could not arrange the sum, as Mehmood and Daud were the two bread-earners. Mehmood was subsequently sent to the central prison from where he was released on bail. After the release, Mehmood organised citizen protests against the police atrocities. Mehmood also filed a petition before the Larkana Bench of the Sindh High Court for the abduction of his elder brother by the Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad, and for his recovery.
The Jacobabad police, in front of the High Court Bench, denied that Mr. Daud was in their custody. The police also filed cases against Mehmood for holding protest demonstrations and giving the police a bad name. From May 2014 to May 2014, the police used every method of intimidation and coercion against Mehmood, urging him to take back all cases against police officials, but they failed.
On 8 May 2015, at 7.30 p.m., when Mehmood was going to back to his house on his motorbike, the police Head Constable Abdul Malik Khoso, who was dressed in civilian clothes, along with another constable dressed similarly, stopped Mehmood at Kandhkot Road, at a deserted place. There they threatened Mehmood and warned him that he must withdraw all the cases. At one point of the argument, the Head Constable Khoso took out his official pistol and shot Mehmood dead on the spot. People who were passing by on that route witnessed that all of a sudden the Head Constable fired a bullet at Mehmood. The killing appeared pre-planned, as, immediately thereafter, a police van arrived at the scene and Mehmood’s body was whisked away. The Saddar Police Station is located over an hour away from the place of the incident.
The police immediately declared the incident as a police encounter, but could not produce any evidence of encounter. The news of Mehmood’s extrajudicial murder spread like fire and people reached the site in hundreds. The father of the victim tried to file a first information report (FIR) in relation to Mehmood’s murder but the police refused and manhandled the protesters. The police also refused to return the cell phone of the victim and the motorbike. It is believed by the villagers that victim was called on his cell phone by the head constable, who asked him to arrive at the spot, and the police therefore have destroyed the phone.
More than 2,000 people immediately blocked the national highway for many hours. Some political workers contacted retired General Abdul Qadir Baloch, the Federal Minister for Frontier Region, to use his influence on police for ensure the registration of the FIR. The Minister also contacted the Chief Minister of Sindh and the Inspector General of Police to force Jacobabd police to file a case, but all efforts failed. Then Minister contacted another Federal Minister – of Interior Affairs – to press the police to file a case and even threatened that that if a case is not filed the Federal Ministry will take action. Then, the Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad, filed a murder case against Head Constable Khoso at 1:30 a.m., six hours after the incident, and this restored traffic flow along the national highway.
Senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and Station House Officer (SHO) have not arrested the Head Constable. On the contrary, the SP, Mr. Shah Zaman Malik, is providing the Head Constable shelter in his house. Whenever there is a court hearing, the alleged murderer is being brought to Court with full police protocol, along with a heavy police contingent and vans. The police have claimed before the Court that the Head Constable is under arrest.
Incidentally, SP Shah Zaman is the same officer who provided security to the killers of Tahira Khoso who was murdered on the pretext of honour. The killer is still not arrested, and is running his activities of extortion through the police force. (To learn more please click here).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Head Constable Khosa and his wife are notorious in their work of making abductions for ransom. The Head Constable conducts his rackets driving around in the latest model cars that have black tinted glasses. Khosa is also facing cases in Balochistan and Sindh Provinces, due to his exploits there. He has patronage from senior officers, as he is able to collect a lot of money through extortion and ransom and deposits the same in a pool maintained by senior officers.
In one case of abduction for ransom, he was caught red handed. This was in 2009 when he abducted a 12-year-old boy, Najeeb Shah, the son of Habib Shah, from Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan Province, which is around 100 km from Jacobabad. The father of the boy was an influential businessman and he immediately took the help of the Balochistan police and chased and crossed the Sindh border. The house of Head Constable Khoso was raided and Khoso’s wife was found hiding the boy there. In that case, Khoso was arrested but was immediately released on bail because of police help. Khoso has never attended the court proceeding, while court has declared him a proclaimed offender.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the following authorities, calling for the immediate arrest of the police officers of Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad, on charges of extrajudicial murder of Mehmood Kharani and for abduction for ransom. Please urge the authorities to ensure the safe recovery of elder brother Daud Kharani who is under unlawful detention of Saddar Police Station since May 2014, and his whereabouts are unknown. The senior police officers of Jacobabad District must be prosecuted for disappearing Daud, who was illegally arrested.
The AHRC will write a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of Extra Judicial killing calling for his intervention into this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ………………..,
PAKISTAN: Police murder man and disappear his brother after failing to extort money
Name of victims:
1. Mr. Mehmood Ahmed Karani 26, son of Tahir Ali Kharani, resident of Goth Haji Lakhmir Khan Kharani, Garhi Khero, Jacobabad District, Sindh
2. Mr. Daud Ahmed Kharani, son of Tahir Ali Kharani, resident of Goth Haji Lakhmir Khan Kharani, Garhi Khero, Jacobabad District, Sindh
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Abdul Malik Khoso, Head Constable, Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad
2. Mr. Shah Zaman Malik, Superintendent of Police, Jacobabad
3. Inspector Mohammad Sharif, Station House Officer, Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad
4. Mr. Abdullah Khoso, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Jacobabad
5. Mashooq Jhakrani, Head Moharar, Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad
Date of incident: 8 May 2015
Place of incident: National Highway, Kandhkot, Jacobabad, Sindh
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the extrajudicial murder of a young man, Mehmood Ahmed Kharani, from Jacobabad, Sindh. Mehmood refused to pay extortion to the police and refused to help them rob the petrol station where he was working. The Saddar Police Station also arrested his brother Daud Kharani 16 months ago, and since then Daud has been disappeared to pressurize Mehmood to cooperate in the robbery and drop charges against the officers. Senior police officers of Saddar Police Station are still pressurizing the father of the two brothers to withdraw the cases against the police.
According to the information I received, Mr. Mehmood Ahmed Kharani, 26, son of Tahir Ali Kharani, resident of Goth Lakhmir, Jacobabad District, Sindh Province, was working at a highway gas station. He used to go back home in the late hours on his motorcycle after completing his work. At that time, a police party under Head Constable Abdul Malik Khoso used to set up to extort money from passersby. The Head Constable would sometimes snatch the money at the time of checking. Mehmood had many a time quarreled with the head constable, particularly when head constable was asking Mehmood to tell him when the cash from the petrol station goes to bank and how. Mehmood was told to help in conducting a robbery at the station, and that the police and he would split the booty.
As I was informed Mehmood, however, refused to help. Mehmood also filed an application in the Sindh High Court, Larkana Bench, on 6 March 2014 against officials of the Saddar Police Station, which was particularly about the criminal activities of Head Constable Khoso. The case is still in Court. Mehmood was considered as a brave young man always resisting police atrocities against the poor and rural people.
I was shocked to know the case infuriated police officers and they used different methods to pressurize Mehmood. On 19 May 2014, the Saddar police arrested Mehmood under 13/D of PPC for allegedly keeping illegal arms. Mehmood was tortured at the Saddar Police Station and when he did agree to withdraw the case under the pain of torture, Head Constable Khoso, along with three other officials, arrested Mehmood’s elder brother, Daud Kharani. They kept Daud as hostage to ensure themselves a good deal.
The police then asked the family of the victims to provide Pak Rupees 20,000 as bribe for the release of Mehmood and Daud. However, the family could not arrange the sum, as Mehmood and Daud were the two bread-earners. Mehmood was subsequently sent to the central prison from where he was released on bail. After the release, Mehmood organised citizen protests against the police atrocities. Mehmood also filed a petition before the Larkana Bench of the Sindh High Court for the abduction of his elder brother by the Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad, and for his recovery.
The Jacobabad police, in front of the High Court Bench, denied that Mr. Daud was in their custody. The police also filed cases against Mehmood for holding protest demonstrations and giving the police a bad name. From May 2014 to May 2014, the police used every method of intimidation and coercion against Mehmood, urging him to take back all cases against police officials, but they failed.
I was depressed to know that on 8 May 2015, at 7.30 p.m., when Mehmood was going to back to his house on his motorbike, the police Head Constable Abdul Malik Khoso, who was dressed in civilian clothes, along with another constable dressed similarly, stopped Mehmood at Kandhkot Road, at a deserted place. There they threatened Mehmood and warned him that he must withdraw all the cases. At one point of the argument, the Head Constable Khoso took out his official pistol and shot Mehmood dead on the spot. People who were passing by on that route witnessed that all of a sudden the Head Constable fired a bullet at Mehmood. The killing appeared pre-planned, as, immediately thereafter, a police van arrived at the scene and Mehmood’s body was whisked away. The Saddar Police Station is located over an hour away from the place of the incident.
The police immediately declared the incident as a police encounter, but could not produce any evidence of encounter. The news of Mehmood’s extrajudicial murder spread like fire and people reached the site in hundreds. The father of the victim tried to file a first information report (FIR) in relation to Mehmood’s murder but the police refused and manhandled the protesters. The police also refused to return the cell phone of the victim and the motorbike. It is believed by the villagers that victim was called on his cell phone by the head constable, who asked him to arrive at the spot, and the police therefore have destroyed the phone.
More than 2,000 people immediately blocked the national highway for many hours. Some political workers contacted retired General Abdul Qadir Baloch, the Federal Minister for Frontier Region, to use his influence on police for ensure the registration of the FIR. The Minister also contacted the Chief Minister of Sindh and the Inspector General of Police to force Jacobabd police to file a case, but all efforts failed. Then Minister contacted another Federal Minister – of Interior Affairs – to press the police to file a case and even threatened that that if a case is not filed the Federal Ministry will take action. Then, the Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad, filed a murder case against Head Constable Khoso at 1:30 a.m., six hours after the incident, and this restored traffic flow along the national highway.
Senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and Station House Officer (SHO) have not arrested the Head Constable. On the contrary, the SP, Mr. Shah Zaman Malik, is providing the Head Constable shelter in his house. Whenever there is a court hearing, the alleged murderer is being brought to Court with full police protocol, along with a heavy police contingent and vans. The police have claimed before the Court that the Head Constable is under arrest.
Incidentally, SP Shah Zaman is the same officer who provided security to the killers of Tahira Khoso who was murdered on the pretext of honour. The killer is still not arrested, and is running his activities of extortion through the police force. (To learn more please click here).
Further to my information received from the people over there the head Constable Khosa and his wife are notorious in their work of making abductions for ransom. The Head Constable conducts his rackets driving around in the latest model cars that have black tinted glasses. Khosa is also facing cases in Balochistan and Sindh Provinces, due to his exploits there. He has patronage from senior officers, as he is able to collect a lot of money through extortion and ransom and deposits the same in a pool maintained by senior officers.
In one case of abduction for ransom, he was caught red handed. This was in 2009 when he abducted a 12-year-old boy, Najeeb Shah, the son of Habib Shah, from Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan Province, which is around 100 km from Jacobabad. The father of the boy was an influential businessman and he immediately took the help of the Balochistan police and chased and crossed the Sindh border. The house of Head Constable Khoso was raided and Khoso’s wife was found hiding the boy there. In that case, Khoso was arrested but was immediately released on bail because of police help. Khoso has never attended the court proceeding, while court has declared him a proclaimed offender.
I therefore call upon you to immediately arrest the police officers of Saddar Police Station, Jacobabad, on charges of extrajudicial murder of Mehmood Kharani and for abduction for ransom. I also urge to ensure the safe recovery of elder brother Daud Kharani who is under unlawful detention of Saddar Police Station since May 2014, and his whereabouts are unknown. The senior police officers of Jacobabad District must be prosecuted for disappearing Daud, who was illegally arrested. The government must pay compensation to the family of the victim for the extra judicial killing of Mehmood Kharani.
Thank you
Yours sincerely,
……………….
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mian Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk, pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk
2.Mr. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister of Sindh
The Government of Sindh Province
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
Email: pressecy@cmsindh.gov.pk
3. Mr. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
Minister
Ministry of Interior of Pakistan
R Block, Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9212026
Fax: +92 51 9202624
Email: interior.complaintcell@gmail.com, ministry.interior@gmail.com
4.Mr. Pervez Rashid
Minister
Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights of Pakistan
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: contact@molaw.gov.pk
5. Mr. Tahir Shahbaz
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9213452
Email: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
6. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
7. Major General Bilal Akbar
Director General Pakistan Ranjers (Sindh)
Jinnah Courts, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi, Sindh
PAKISTAN
Tel: Helpline No: 1101, +92-21-99261056 (Gulshan-e-Iqbal)
Tel: +92 21 9205285-87 (Head Quarter)
FAX: +92 21 99205284
Email: help@pakistanranjerssindh.org
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
