Murtaza Bhutto

HOW SEVEN SDMS COULD FAIL TO FIND THE
DEAD, ASKS ZAHID
H. A. Hamied
KARACHI, Dec. 14, 1996: A photographer of AFP (Agence France Press),
Saeeduddin Khan Bangash, submitted before the three- member judicial
tribunal, investigating the causes of the death of Mir Murtaza Bhutto and
seven others, that the police and rangers obstructed newsmen from
performing their duties and his camera and other equipment were seized by
the police on Sept 20 and had not been returned to him so far.
He said policemen were deployed on the scene of the incident and at the
hospital nearby only to suppress newsmen's professional activities and he lost
his Nikon camera, lenses and flash gun costing 3,200 US dollars. However,
some lenses costing 600 US dollars and a flash gun costing about 300 to 400
US dollars, which were also seized, were returned.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, asked DSP Shamim
Hussain, who is assisting the tribunal in producing the police witnesses, to
inquire about the camera and other equipment, and later he reported back
that there was no trace of it with the police and the SHO of Clifton PS came to
the tribunal to say so. The police, the witness said, was not in good mood and
looked desperate and was shouting at the Pressmen to get lost. He said
photographic equipment of other photographers were also seized but were
returned after several hours. Mr Bangash said efforts were made to recover
the camera and other equipment, and in this connection his agency and he
himself contacted SP Shukaib Qureshi, but in vain. On two occasions, the SP
was not available and on the third occasion, when inquiries were made, he
had gone on leave.
Q: Why the then DC (South), Arif Illahi, and the SDM could not find the
whereabouts of Ashiq Hussain Jatoi till 3:30 am ?
A: I don't know. The police were panicky and were not correctly responding
to queries, although all such information had to come from the police.
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