No repercussions to date for policemen accused in Maqsood killing case

Police officers accused in the Maqsood killing case have managed to retain their position without any repercussions, Geo News reported Wednesday night, but have reportedly been "absent" from work for a few days.

Maqsood was killed by police on January 20 in an alleged encounter near Faisal Base on Karachi's Shahrah-e-Faisal, with the law enforcement authorities (LEAs) claiming they had shot dead a wanted suspect.

Police officials, however, backtracked on their initial statement hours later, saying the citizen was, in fact, killed due to the firing of the real suspect engaged in a shootout with the police.

No department has taken any action against the policemen named in the Maqsood killing case — no suspension handed out, no show cause notice given, no arrests made — but the accused remain "absent" from duty since a few days.

The accused include Assistant Sub-Inspector of police (ASI) Tariq Khan and Constables Akbar Khan, Abdul Waheed, and Shaukat Ali.

Further, no departmental action has been taken against Ali Hassan, the Station House Officer (SHO) at the Shahrah-e-Faisal police station, either.

Police file charge sheet in Maqsood killing case, family expresses reservations

Father of deceased expressed reservations over the charge sheet

Additional Inspector-General (AIG) Mushtaq Mehr, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) for Karachi, on the other hand, disassociated himself from the proceedings in the case, stressing that he was on a leave of absence from work when the incident took place.

Hassan, the SHO at the Shahrah-e-Faisal police station, noted that none of the four officers had shown up at work since the past few days.

'Release the CCTV video'

Earlier, the Sindh Police included terrorism charges against suspects named in the Maqsood killing case, with the case's investigation officer requesting the court of judicial magistrate (Central) for a 15-day period to file the final charge sheet.

In a charge sheet for the Maqsood killing case, submitted March 24, police had stated that ASI Tariq Khan, one of the four accused, had shot the deceased at a close range.

Police include terrorism charges against suspects in Maqsood killing case

Four policemen of the Shahra-e-Faisal police station are nominated in the case

The charge sheet further stated that ASI Khan had shot two other people after dragging them out from a rickshaw, along with the deceased.

Previously, Sheikh Muhammad, Maqsood's father, had expressed reservations over the charge sheet.

He had demanded that the authorities present the CCTV video of the incident to the public.

“My son was martyred by the police. I have not received any justice.

"He was not carrying a weapon; I demand that the authorities release the CCTV [closed-circuit television] video so that people can know the truth,” he had said.