Karachi -- 23 November 2000
The personnel of Crime
Investigation Agency (CIA) West Police murdered Ms Kausar Khatoon, sister of Mr
Saleem, an MQM worker of Unit 18, Sector Lyari in Karachi, Pakistan. This brutal murder warrants the immediate
attention of the international community and the human rights organisations
towards the massive violations of human rights and total disregard to the right
of life of the people of urban centres of Sindh, particularly Mohajirs.
According to details, on 23
November 2000, at around 11 p.m., two armed robbers entered into the house of
Ms Kausar Khatoon in Lyari, Karachi.
Nadeem, the nephew of Ms Kausar Khatoon, who was present in the house,
immediately saw them and screamed for help.
The armed robbers shot Nadeem in the leg. Upon hearing the gunshots and screams of Nadeem, Ms Kausar
Khatoon tried to escape but was spotted and shot upon resulting in her
death. As a result of gunfire and
screaming, the area residents immediately came for help and with a joint effort
seized the culprits.
Astoundingly, a CIA West Police
mobile van with five personnel of CIA West Police was parked near the house,
did not came to the rescue of Ms Khatoon, however, they immediately came into
action and took away the two culprits from the area residents and arrested
them. All the area residents recognised
the two robbers as policemen belonging to the CIA West Police and were taken to
the police station. To cover this
incident, the police are conspiring to twist the case into a “police encounter”
so that the police personnel responsible for this murder couldn’t be charged
for murder. Moreover, Nadeem who is the
only eyewitness of this tragic event is already receiving threats not to
disclose the identities of the murderers.
The personnel of CIA West Police also arrested Mr Naeem and Mr Kashif,
the brother and nephew of Ms Khatoon.
They were immediately taken away in the mobile van and subjected to
inhuman torture.
It is abundantly clear that the
police personnel planned to rob the house of Ms Kausar Khatoon as they knew
very well that she was a widow and lived alone. They were not expecting her nephew to be there. Two policemen in civilian clothes entered
the house, while the others waited outside in the police van to provide them
protection. Such incidents of
highhandedness of the police personnel have become a daily routine matter. Billions of rupees are being extorted as
bribes from the citizens of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh by the
Punjabi police personnel, which have been deployed in Karachi for this very
purpose.
Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) is
the third largest political party of Pakistan and the second largest in the
province of Sindh. Since the
commencement of the Army Operation on 19 June 1992, against the MQM, more than
15000 MQM leaders, workers and supporters have been extra-judicially murdered, thousands
are languishing in prison on false and fabricated charges, dozens have been
awarded death sentences, more than 28 workers are reported missing after being
unlawfully arrested, thousands of families have been displaced from their homes
and thousands of workers and supporters have been forced to leave the country
and are living in exile.