Student gunned down by cops in Quetta
Eagle Squad officers allegedly opened fire on a car at Sariab Road, Quetta, on the night of May 5, killing 22-year-old student Faizan Jattak and injuring his cousin.
According to the FIR registered on the complaint of the wounded cousin, the boys were enroute to their home via Sariab Road at around 10 PM when the Eagle Squad personnel flagged them down at the Sada Bahar Terminal. However, the car went on ahead a little ways, at which the officers immediately opened indiscriminate fire.
A case has been lodged under sections 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (acts done by several people in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code. An autopsy confirmed that Faizan, the son of tribal elder Mir Dad Mohammad Jattak, had sustained gunshot wounds to his nape and back.
The following night, angry demonstrators blocked Sariab Road in protest against police brutality while the incident drew outrage on social media. Spokesperson for the Government of Balochistan Liaquat Shahwani assured that justice will be done to Faizan’s family, and that the top leadership of the police have taken notice of the incident and issued directions for an immediate inquiry.
Minor abducted for marriage rescued from Khyber district
Police on Thursday, May 6, recovered a fourteen-year-old girl who was abducted from a refugee camp in Tank on April 27 in an operation in the province’s Khyber district. An alleged kidnapper, identified as one Munawwar, was also arrested during the raid.
Police provided that the girl had been kidnapped to be forcibly married. Moreover, the culprits had shot the victim’s mother when she attempted to free her daughter. A search for the victim was initiated after the mother registered a case with the police. Police were able to trace the girl to Jamrud, Khyber district, where Munawwar also resided. Others involved in the kidnapping were also arrested while an officer accused of being a facilitator was suspended.
Opposition members air reservations on establishing special rape courts
Opposition members of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice of the National Assembly aired their concerns regarding the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance and the setting up of special rape courts to ensure access to and accelerate justice for rape survivors and victims.
The Committee Chair Riaz Fatyana elaborated that new tech will be utilized in investigating rape cases, and that special courts will be established under the Ordinance to hear rape cases. Criminal proceedings will be initiated against complainants if they lodge fake cases. Moreover, a sex-offenders list will be compiled by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
However, opposition party members of the body voiced their concerns regarding certain aspects of the Ordinance. Naveed Qamar of the PPP posited that existing sessions courts should be empowered to hear and expedite rape cases, rather than set up separate courts.
Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem responded that special judges and prosecutors are required to deal with rape cases, for which setting up special courts is necessary. Meanwhile, Rana Sanaullah of the PML-N termed the bill “malicious” and insisted it should not be passed by the Law and Justice Committee.
Minister Naseem requested the postponement of the Committee hearing till the next meeting in order to provide detailed replies to the opposition members’ questions and suggestions.
