CJP takes notice of 10-year-old girl’s death in Karachi police ‘encounter’

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on Tuesday took notice of the death of 10-year-old girl Amal Umer, who had reportedly been shot by policemen during an alleged encounter in Karachi last month.

The CJP’s notice comes days after Amal’s mother Beenish Umer’s account of the incident appeared in Dawn. The suo motu notice concerns the “irresponsible firing” by the police as well as the “failure of [a] well-known medical hospital to provide emergency medical aid as required by the law”.

The court issued notices to the Sindh Attorney General, provincial secretary health, former IGP Amjid Jawaid Saleemi and the administrator of National Medical Centre (NMC). The case will be heard on Sept 25, read a notification issued from the office of SC’s registrar.

Amal was shot during an alleged crossfire between police and robbers that occurred in Karachi’s Defence area last month. Later, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Javed Alam Odho admitted that the bullet that killed Amal was fired by a policeman.

After she was shot, Amal’s parents, who were in the car with her, took her to NMC where she passed away after being denied medical treatment. According to Beenish, the hospital told the injured girl’s parents to take her to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre or Aga Khan Hospital. NMC also refused to arrange an ambulance for Amal, who had suffered a head wound.

Source: Dawn News