Balochistan: Sindh High Court Orders Probe Into Alleged Fake Encounter Killing of Baloch Youths
KARACHI, BALOCHISTAN: The Sindh High Court has ordered a one-month inquiry into the alleged extrajudicial killing of three Baloch youths in what families claim was a staged police encounter carried out by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
The case relates to a February 17 incident in Shah Latif Town, Malir, where CTD officials shot dead four young men. Police had initially claimed that the individuals were affiliated with a militant organisation and were killed during an operation.
However, three of the deceased were later identified as Jalil, Niaz Qadir and Hamdan alias Hakeem, while the fourth remains unidentified.
The victims’ families have strongly rejected the police version, arguing that the youths were already in custody prior to the incident and were due to be presented in court. They staged protests following the killings, calling the encounter “fake” and demanding accountability.
During a hearing on the case, a constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court directed the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Special Branch to conduct a transparent and impartial inquiry and submit a report within one month.
The court also ordered that CTD officials involved in the incident should not be assigned new postings until the investigation is completed.
In addition, the court instructed the Inspector General of Sindh Police to develop clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure the safety of detainees in high-profile cases.
The petitioner’s counsel, lawyer Jibran Nasir, told the court that one of the victims, Hamdan, had been missing since late December before his arrest was later shown by police. He added that Hamdan was on police remand until February 19, raising serious questions about the claim that he was killed in an encounter on February 17.
The lawyer further argued that police had acknowledged the suspects were in custody and handcuffed at the time, while post-mortem findings contradict the official narrative.
Hamdan’s father has also filed complaints with the Federal Investigation Agency and the National Commission for Human Rights, seeking an investigation under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022.
The court noted concerns over rising cases of custodial deaths and warned that failure to address such incidents could lead to further violations. It directed authorities to ensure that the inquiry report is shared with the victims’ families upon completion.
