HERALD Nov-Dec 1998

Close Encounters

Allegations abound that the Punjab police, taking a cue from Naseerullah Babar's 1995 operation in Karachi, is executing sectarian militants in staged encounters…

On September 15, 1998, Syed Zaigham Bokhari, a sub-engineer at the Lahore General Hospital, was on his way to work when two men opened fire at him on the hospital premises. One assailant managed to escape while the other was apprehended by the police with the help of hospital staff. He was identified as Asghar Mujahid, secretary general of the Sheikhupura branch of the Sipahe Sahaba. His accomplice was identified as Qari Atiqur Rehman, an alleged terrorist wanted by the police for sectarian murder.

Mujahid was interrogated by the police and later at the Crime Investigation Department terrorist detention cell in Chung. During questioning, he claimed he had committed the murder on the orders of the country's most wanted proclaimed offender, Riaz Basra, who suspected that Bokhari was involved in the killing of two SSP men three years earlier.

Besides the hospital killing, the police also suspected Mujahid of involvement in certain murders committed in Faisalabad. For this reason, they decided to shift him to that city for further interrogation.

On September 25, while Mujahid was being transported to Faisalabad, three men travelling in a car reportedly intercepted the police party at Sharakpur Sharif, Sheikhupura, and attempted to free the policeman was caught in the crossfire, which police officers claim lasted for some 15 minutes.

On October 9, Abdul Aziz Katana, who was among those who had escaped from the Dera Ghazi Khan prison in December 1997, was shot dead by police in Chani Goth Road, Rahimyar Khan. He was thought to be a close aide of Riaz Basra and carried a price of 500,000 rupees on his head.

Katana was reportedly arrested by members of the police's anti-dacoity wing and detained at the Chani Goth police station before being moved to Hasilpur. While Katana was being transported to Hasilpur, accompanied by DSP Mian Irfanullah, four men apparently opened fire on the police party from the roadside near village Mahmoodabad. The police claim that the men succeeded in freeing Katana. In the shootout that followed, however, the suspect was killed while his accomplice escaped. Once again, no policeman was injured. Katana's family disputes the police version of the story, insisting that the deceased had actually courted arrest and was killed by police in cold blood.

On October 15, Khalid alias Bhola of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was killed in an encounter with police in Batapur, Lahore.

Sources say Khalid was demanding 200,000 rupees as protection money from Mohammad Ramzan, a resident of Gung Mughalpura. Ramzan approached the Lahore SSP and, on the police officer's orders, Ramzan's telephones were placed under observation. A few days later, Khalid contacted the complainant and the call was traced back to village Basin, Batapur.

Sources claim that Khalid was subsequently taken into custody and interrogated. On the basis of information extracted from him, they say, the police even managed to arrest several other Lashkar-e-Jhangvi activists. Thereafter, he was allegedly executed.

The police, however, claim that Khalid was never actually in custody. They insist that a raid was conducted to arrest him, during which the suspect opened fire. The police party retaliated, according to the official version, killing Khalid.

The police say that Khalid was involved in the murders of Allama Rafiq Zahid in Baghbanpura in November 21, 1997, and Munawwar Hussain in Lorry Adda in 1996. They also hold Khalid Bhola responsible for killing Haji Tufail Bhutta and looting one million rupees from the latter's Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore residence in October 1997.

On October 23, Hafiz Mohammad Ayub alias Ayuba, Haji Abdullah Khalid, Hafiz Ghulam Rasool and Mukhtar Ahmed of the Sipahe Sahaba were shot dead by the Lahore police in an 'encounter' on Ghazali Road, Sanda.

Police claim the suspects were spotted on the Multan Road in a car they had earlier stolen from the Ichhra area. The suspects attempted to flee but were intercepted by the police near Masjid-e-Khizra, where a shoot-out allegedly took place, resulting in fatal injuries to four suspects while one escaped. The bodies were shifted to the Samanabad police station. Interestingly, some local newspapers reported that one of the four suspects supposedly killed in this encounter was actually breathing, although with difficulty, while still at the police station. But when reporters drew the police's attention towards him, the officials insisted he was dead and took him out of the room along with the other three bodies.

Sources say that Hafiz Ghulam Rasool and Mukhtar Ahmad were arrested some three months ago by the Allama Iqbal Town police on suspicion of being sectarian terrorists. However, they failed to extract any information from the suspects. They were reportedly confined illegally and subjected to severe torture during interrogation by Allama Iqbal Town Circle Inspector Umer Virk and SI Bashir Niazi. Later, the two men were released, but only after a substantial amount of money allegedly changed hands.

Upon their release, Rasool and Ahmed are said to have informed Hafiz Ayub about their arrest and torture. The group led by Ayub was apparently planning to target Umer Virk and Bashir Niazi when four of its important members -- Qari Younis, Laiq Ahmed Lodhi, Hafiz Tariq Muavia and Khalid alias Bhola -- were arrested by CIA. During questioning, Hafiz Tariq apparently revealed that Ayub was planning to target police officials involved in the arrests and killings of SSP activists.

Police subsequently arrested Mohammad Ayub, Hafiz Ghulam Rasool, Mukhtar Ahmad, Haji Abdullah Khalid, Tauqeerul Hasan Farooqi, Aleem Aslam, Fakir Hussain, Mohammad Saleem Shahzad and Mohammad Yaseen. However, these arrests were never registered and, on October 14, Khalid alias Bhola was killed in an 'encounter' in Batapur. Mohammad Ayub, Hafiz Ghulam Rasool, Mukhtar Ahmad and Haji Abdullah Khalid were meanwhile handed over to the Allama Iqbal Town police for interrogation. The four were subsequently killed in a "shoot-out" in Samanabad.