KARACHI, July 22: In a surprise move, the Sindh police chief, who had issued orders on Friday to disband the Lyari Task Force with immediate effect for killing a man on mistaken identity in an encounter, withdrew his orders on Saturday.

The provincial police chief, Jahangir Mirza, had also ordered registration of an FIR on the complaint of the relatives of the deceased, who was killed in the encounter on July 11 in Gadap area.

Reports from Sakrand, in the interior of Sindh, suggested that family members of the deceased, Rasool Bux, lodged an FIR 101/06 and nominated more than 14 police officials as accused.

Well-placed sources said that some elements behind the scene had forced IGP Mirza to withdraw his order. He avoided attending his cellphone apparently to evade a volley of questions from the press.

On Friday, the IGP announced that the Lyari Task Force had been disbanded following receipt of the report of his inquiry committee confirming media reports that the man killed in the encounter was not the wanted criminal, Mashooq Brohi, as claimed by the police.