RAHIM YAR KHAN: The killing of three policemen during a robbery on June 7 when more than three dacoits opened fire on them in Khanbela town of Liaqatpur tehsil has raised questions on professional ability of the force to handle such situations.

Constables Muhammad Shafiq (driver), Zeeshan Khurram Bohar and Muhammad Ishaq were rushed to the local market in the town, 90kms from here on the national highway, at night after receiving information that some dacoits were looting shops.

According to eyewitnesses and CCTV footage, three policemen posted at the Khanbela check-post falling under the Sheedani Sharif police Station responded quickly but without planning and latest weapons to challenge the dacoits who fired with the latest weapons on the official vehicle.

As a result, constable Shafiq died on the spot, constable Zeeshan succumbed to his injuries after reaching the Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) while Ishaq expired on June 9. The dacoits fled the scene as there was no one to challenge them.

According to local residents of Khanbela, police took the matter of robbery as a routine incident and did not care the robbers had loaded guns in their hands.

The Station House Officer of Sheedani Sharif PS lodged an FIR 529/24 under sections 302, 324, 394, 353, 186, 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code and 7-The Anti Terrorism Act,1997.

In the FIR, he mentioned that he along with other police employees including head constable Barkat Ali, constables Zeeshan Khurram, Muhammad Ishaq, Imran Abbas, Fayyaz Ahmed, Imran Akmal, and Muhammad Shafiq equipped with SMG rifles, were on patrolling near Qazi Petrol Pump at 9:10pm on their official vehicle.

They received an information that some unidentified persons were busy in looting the Nizam Din Crockery Store at gunpoint. As they reached the spot, a dacoit opened fire with his SMG riffle while the other two fired on them with pistols and fled on their motorcycle.

A local journalist of Liaqatpur told this correspondent the FIR was a worst example of police non-professionalism. He said it was strange that policemen equipped with SMGs could not shoot dacoits having one SMG and two pistols.

He blamed the SHO and check-post in charge for the death of policemen.

A police officer in Rahim Yar Khan said there were four police employees who reached the spot to counter the dacoits and except driver Shafiq all were with SMGs. He said that SHO was also covering them in another vehicle.

“It was a bad luck of police employees who could not use their weapons timely,” he said.

Police spokesperson Saif Ali Wains said that he would arrange a telephonic talk with District Police Officer (DPO) on Wednesday to answer the questions of this correspondent but he didn’t respond.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2024