News
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Foreigners killed in Kharotabad were trained terrorists: tribunal
* Tribunal report says victims had links with banned outfits in Pakistan * No recommendations made against officials responsible for incident
By Mohammad Zafar
QUETTA: The Judicial Tribunal, which investigated the Kharotabad incident, suspects the victims were trained terrorists.
Some parts of the tribunal’s report had been made public, suggesting no action against the officials responsible for the killing of five foreigners at a public place. Three police officers and an FC officer, Col Faisal Shehzad, were held responsible for the killing as they showed incompetence and lack of courage and understanding, for being the most senior officials, at the place of incident.
The tribunal, on the accounts of evidence, suspected that all the five foreigners were trained terrorists and had active links with some banned terrorist organisations operating in Pakistan. But it also said that the victims could have been caught alive to the benefit of the security forces in unfolding their network. “Due to callous stupidity of the police and FC personnel, the entire terrorist network shrouds in mystery,” the report says.
The tribunal held that former Capital City Police Officer in Quetta Dawood Junejo and Lt Colonel Faisal Shehzad of the FC, being the highest officers, displayed absolute lack of professional competence in the incident.
Junejo showed lack of courage, planning and ability to organise and act in a befitting manner, having ample time at his disposal, and thus, by not taking right action at right time, had made himself liable for bringing to book, the report said.
The tribunal said that Lt Colonel Shehzad took one step ahead by willfully resorting to massacre, instead of capturing the foreigners alive, thereby showing lack of courage, planning, ability and determination to properly organise and handle the situation.
The tribunal only made some recommendations to thwart such incidents in future. The report declared that Kharotabad SHO Fazalur Rehman and ASI Raza Khan of the Airport Police Station were mainly responsible of the incident.
“They committed culpable act of the worst order in not conveying right message to the police control, which later resulted in death of five foreigners. ASI Raza, further showed willful silence in not informing the police or FC officers about taking personnel search of the foreigners,” the report stated.
However, tribunal made some recommendations to prevent such incidents in future by asking to revamp the police and make it sufficient in handling law and order situation. Explosive detector devices should be available with every police station in view of the prevailing law and order situation.
The tribunal said that despite worsening law and order situation, no attention had been paid to check the foreigners, who illegally entered Pakistan. The tribunal recommended installation of CCTV cameras on every entry points of Quetta city as well as the border posts.
The tribunal observed that some police officials not only tried to confuse the truth with falsehood but also gone to the extent of maltreating two of the witnesses, Jamal Tarakey and Dr Syed Baqir Shah. The tribunal said it had been revealed that except Mukumov Numan, all others were Russian nationals, residents of Dagestan Republic. They had also visited Iran in December.
The tribunal said the evidence lead to a conclusion that the foreigners entered Pakistan’s territory through infrequent routes, having in possession the explosive devices and material.
“The evidence lead to the conclusion that such material was brought by them from abroad, so as to provide help and assistance to the terrorist organisations operating in Pakistan. Receiving of terrorists’ training further shows their linkages with some banned organisations. The foreigners had active linkages with some terrorist groups, however, they could have been captured alive but, unfortunately, due to stupidity of the police and the FC the discovery of the entire terrorists’ network shrouded in mystery,” tribunal concluded.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk