Murder of teenager by security forces sparks anger in Pakistan

Jun 10, 2011, 11:54 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday ordered the removal of two provincial security chiefs for their failure to take action after a video showing the killing of a young man by their forces was made public.

The video of the suspected execution-style murder of Sarfaraz Shah, 19, by security forces in a park in the southern city of Karachi on Wednesday caused public outrage, prompting the court to take immediate action.

The chief justice said the government should remove the inspector general of police of the province of Sindh, Fayyaz Leghari, and Major General Ijaz Chaudry, who heads the province's Rangers, a border security force which is also deplored in urban areas on police duties.

The Rangers initially claimed its soldiers killed a man who had opened fire at them after he had robbed a woman. Police refused to investigate the killing when Shah's family lodged a complaint.

The court also appointed a senior police officer to investigate the murder and asked a district court to complete the trial within 30 days.

Tariq Khokhar, a cameraman of a local television station who filmed the shooting, said he had received threats from local authorities.

'Somebody called me and said what I have done was wrong, and now I should be careful while venturing out of my house,' Khokhar said.

Meanwhile, police has arrested the two soldiers were allegedly shown in the video firing at Shah at point blank range while the young man was begging for mercy.

Security forces last month killed five Russian nationals at checkpoint in the south-western province of Baluchistan.