Ex-SHO involved in Kharotabad incident shot dead in Quetta

Author: inp

QUETTA: A man was shot dead in a targetted attack in Quetta on Sunday.

According to police, Fazlur Rehman Kakar, the former SHO of Airport Police Station, was sitting outside his car showroom on Yat Road when unidentified gunmen shot him dead. Kakar’s body was taken to the Civil Hospital from where it will be handed over to his family after medico-legal formalities.

Kakar was dismissed as the Airport SHO after the May 17, 2011 Kharotabad incident.

The incident involved the killing of five foreigners – four Russians and one Tajik – after they allegedly failed to stop at a police checkpoint. The victims included three women, including a pregnant one.

Several high-profile inquiries were conducted into the incident to ascertain the role of the Frontier Corps and police. As a result of the judicial inquiry by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, Quetta Capital City Police Officer Daud Junejo, FC’s Col Faisal Shehzad, SHO Kakar and ASI Raza Khan were held responsible.

In August 2013, unidentified gunmen shot dead ASI Raza while he was standing outside his house in Quetta. Khan, who received multiple gunshot wounds, was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

On December 29, 2011, police surgeon and key witness in the incident, Dr Baqir Shah, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Quetta. The doctor was previously roughed up by police as his statement differed from the official version of security agencies.

According to details, the group of four Russian citizens and one Tajik had been travelling in a rented car in Balochistan. They had passed through several police checkpoints and even been searched, but as they approached another checkpoint in the Kharotabad neighbourhood of Quetta, they exited the car and proceeded on foot. A previous security checkpoint near the Quetta airport had sent a message to the place they were now that five Chechens were approaching the Kharotabad checkpoint.

The Frontier Corps soldiers and Balochistan Police manning the Kharotabad checkpoint came to understand that they were about to be attacked by Chechen suicide bombers and acted accordingly. As the five travellers approached the checkpoint, they were greeted with a volley of bullets and all fell to the ground. There was a long period during which no firing was done, and during which several of the victims were still alive and moving. During this time, TV crews and many officers arrived on the scene.

Published in Daily Times, January 22^nd2018.