Karachi ‘video killers’ in court

Pakistan Rangers detain Sarfaraz Shah in a Karachi park on 9 JuneSarfaraz Shah (left) was detained at gunpoint and then shot
Related Stories

At least five paramilitary soldiers accused of killing an unarmed man in the Pakistani city of Karachi are set to appear in court.

The killing of Sarfaraz Shah was filmed by a TV cameraman and widely broadcast by Pakistani channels.

The soldiers are being held in police custody. Correspondents say police may present a formal charge sheet at court or apply for an extension of remand.

Prosecutors have said they will pursue murder charges against the men.

Another man was also arrested and remanded on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Mr Shah.

Video footage, which surfaced last week, showed Sarfaraz Shah, wearing a black T-shirt, being dragged by his hair in a public park by a man in plain clothes and pushed towards a group of Sindh Rangers who are in uniform and armed.

He pleads for his life as one of the Rangers points a gun at his neck and a little later a Ranger shoots him twice at close range, hitting him in the thigh. The young man is seen writhing on the ground, bleeding heavily and begging for help.

The paramilitaries do nothing to help him. He died from his injuries.

The Rangers say he was caught trying to rob someone. His family denies this.

The video prompted further widespread criticism of the Pakistani security establishment, which is already under fire for the recent killing of a journalist, Saleem Shahzad.

Journalists, politicians and rights activists have accused the army’s intelligence service, the ISI, of the murder, a charge which the ISI denies.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *