LAHORE - Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chairman Dr Mehdi Hasan has termed ‘extrajudicial’ the killing of alleged terrorists in a shootout in Lahore.
Earlier, the CTD cops claimed to have killed 10 terrorists involved in The Mall bomb blast.
Talking to BBC, the HRCP chief said: “After killing someone, it is so simple to say that they all are terrorists. That’s why [they are] killed.” Judicial judgment whether anyone is terrorist or not is mandatory, he added.
Acceding to the CTD, a team was ‘taking the arrested facilitators, including Anwarul Haq and Attaur Rehman, to Manawan for the recovery of explosives when their accomplices ambushed the lawmen who retaliated and killed ’10 ambushers’.
According to law, Dr Mehdi insisted that the police must produce the alleged criminals in a court of law within 24 hours of their arrest.
The CTD officials claimed they (the dead) belonged to a banned outfit, Jamaatul Ahrar, and shifted the bodies to a morgue for post-mortem.
The human rights watchdog head averred that police claims related to terrorists are not to be trusted.
The official also said that two kilograms of explosive materials, three Kalashnikovs and three pistols were also recovered from the terrorists and named three of the deceased as Imam Shah, Irfan Khan and Abdullah.
Dr Mehdi said no serious damage was inflicted on the cops in such a shootout.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 80 others wounded in a suicide attack on The Mall on February 13. DIG City Traffic Police Capt (r) Ahmad Mobin Zaidi and Acting DIG (Operations) Zahid Gondal were among the six policemen who embraced martyrdom in the attack.