Dilemma of extrajudicial killings

After the alleged extrajudicial killing of 27-year-old Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi, incident was highlighted on social media and taken up by mainstream media and ultimately now countrywide protests are demanding fair probe of the incident as it is believed Naqeebullah was innocent. Due to strong protest across different cities of the country against SSP Malir, Anwar Rao’s contempt for the law of the land, the higher-ups decided to probe into the matter. An investigation was subsequently launched with the Supreme Court of Pakistan taking notice and summoning Anwar. Anwar has been removed from his post after the recommendations of the probe committee formed over the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud. Rao Anwar is known in Karachi as an ‘encounter specialist’, and has allegedly taken the law of the land into his own hands number of times. He has maintained that Mehsud was among four militants killed in a shootout with police. But Mehsud’s friends and family have rejected that he was affiliated with any militant group.
Trueness in the claims of Rao Anwar has to be ascertained in the court of law, but the initial report of inquiry committee formed to probe Naqeebullah Mehsud’s alleged extrajudicial killing has termed the police encounter ‘suspicious’. Committee also brushes aside any link of Naqeeb with any militant organizations.
Increasing protests asking for the probe have put pressure on the authorities to investigate the whole episode of this extrajudicial killing. There is no second opinion that culture of fake encounters exists in the police forces. This is not the first case of its kind; incidents of extrajudicial killings keep surfacing. It is high time to investigate properly this particular incident in order to show authorities that such incidents won’t go unnoticed anymore. It is a decent move that Rao Anwar has been suspended so he could not influence the inquiry underway against him.
Killing someone without courts order is a violation of many fundamental rights. Law enforcement officials cannot be allowed to get away with extrajudicial killings on any pretext. Prime job of police department is to apprehend a crime and not to punish the offenders. A detailed criminal justice system is functioning in the country to decide punishments. If law of the land is not respected by the law enforcers, than it cannot be expected to have much respect among ordinary citizens.