KARACHI - Provincial authorities and the top political leadership Sunday visited the residence of the 22-year-old medical student Nimra Baig, who was killed in an encounter between police and robbers near Anda Mor, an area in North Karachi locality of the city.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Saeed Ghani along with PPP District Central President and other party leaders visited the residence of the medical student killed in police crossfire and assured the family that a fair trial would be carried out into the incident and culprit whether policemen would also be brought to book.

He condoled with the family of the deceased and said that he could feel the pain of the mother and brother who had lost their family member.  Leader of political parties also visited the residence of the medical student and condoled with the family.  Former MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar visited the residence and called for fair trial into the incident.   

PTI Parliamentary Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh after condoling with family said that such incidents occur in the province frequently due to ill-trained police force.

“When the policemen are recruited on recommendations rather than merit then such incidents will occur,” he said and claimed that the eye-witnesses had claimed that a police bullet hit the girl that claimed her life.

The policemen rather than safeguarding the citizens are involved in extorting money and killing them, he said and demanded for a fair trial and exemplary punishment for those involved.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman after visiting the residence of the medical student said there is no one to take care of the city and the children are being killed in broad day light at the hands of those responsible for safeguarding them.

He demanded for a high level Joint Interrogation Team (JIT) to probe as to why hindrances were created in carrying out post-mortem of the deceased.

Lambasting the ill-trained police force of the city, the JI city chief also stressed upon recruitment of local policemen in the force on merit to improve its efficiency.

Pak Sarzameen Party Chief Mustafa Kamal also visited the residence of Nimra and condoled with her brother and maternal uncle over the death.

He blamed the government for leaving Karachi on the mercy of killers and said that on one hand police is killing innocent citizens and on the other criminals were free to kill political activists and others.  “From target killings to murder of Irshad Ranjhani and killings at the hands of police shows failure of the state in fulfilling its responsibilities,” he said.

He demanded of PPPP top leaders Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto to take notice of such incidents as they are also tarnishing the image of their party.

Police register FIR

Meanwhile, police registered a First Information (FIR) report against the two robbers, one dead and the other injured, at Sir Syed Plice Station on the complaint of policeman Adnan, appointed at Shahra-e-Noor Jehan Police Station. They were booked under sections pertaining to police encounter, murder, attempted murder and terrorism.

The report reads that Adnan, who was deputed near Farooq e Azam, Mosque in North Nazimabad K sector, intercepted the four suspects at motorbikes and asked them to stop. The suspects however retaliated that initiated a police chase with one motor bike disappearing in the traffic while the other being intercepted near Anda Mor.

In crossfire, between the police and robbers, both the suspects received bullet wounds with one named Malik Riaz succumbing to his injuries while the other one arrested in injured condition.

The police later found that a girl, who was later identified as Nimra Baig, was also injured in the encounter and later succumbed to her injuries during treatment at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

Although the police booked the two robbers for killing the girl, the medico-legal officers, as per media reports had blamed a high velocity fire or a rifle being used in killing of the girl.

As per the initial assessment, the bullet that hit the girl was most probably the weapon used by policemen rather than the robbers.