January 10, 2021
The brutal, unprovoked killing of Osama Satti by the Anti-Terrorist Squad highlights the impunity that enables abuse of power. Extra-judicial killings are illegal, and a serious breach of constitutional rights of the citizen
The ruthless killing of a boy, Osama Satti, by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the police on a main highway in the capital city of Islamabad is the latest incident pointing to abuse of authority by this prominent law enforcement agency amid weak accountability.
Satti, a student in early 20s, according to family, went to drop a friend late Friday night (January 2) and was shot dead by ATS personnel. A patrolling squad of the ATS tried to stop his car, allegedly with tinted windows, not allowed in the city but that exist by default in many Japanese cars, at G-10 signal on Kashmir Highway but he did not stop. After the incident, the police spokesperson stated that the patrolling squad had tried to stop his vehicle considering it suspicious for its tinted windows. He claims that when the ATS personnel opened fire, they were aiming “at the tyres of the vehicle”; and unfortunately, the bullets hit the driver multiple times and resulted in his death.