24-year-old Pakistani killed in Cyprus

A 24-year-old Pakistani man was found dead in Strovolos, Cyprus, after being killed in a police shooting incident on January 6. The news surfaced in international media on Saturday, January 11.

Initial reports suggested that the deceased was wounded by a service weapon and that his body was found thirty kilometres away from the location of the shooting.

According to Cyprus Mail, there are “fears of major coverup in Pakistani man’s death.” Following the incident, state pathologist Nicholas Charalambous was suspended until a disciplinary investigation against him was completed. He had initially ruled out the suspicion of criminal activity when he assessed the victim’s body, even though there was a gaping bullet wound in the victim’s shoulder. However, four days later, after the autopsy, he retracted his statement and confirmed that it was not a stone injury but a gunshot wound — resulting from police fire.

Police found the Pakistani man’s body in a field in a suburb of the capital, Nicosia, on January 6, a national holiday in Cyprus.

Another local news website, Phileleftheros, reported on Sunday that three police officers were being questioned over the shooting, which occurred in a different location from where the body was found.

As the public outcry against the apparent cover-up grew, the state attorney appointed a senior state lawyer, Ninos Kekkos, to carry out an independent investigation.

The Cyprus police, in its official statement, stated that it was patrolling the buffer zone when it noticed three vehicles illegally smuggling migrants. Subsequently, the police officers on duty shot at the wheels of one of the trucks, but the driver, along with the second vehicle, managed to escape into the buffer zone. Furthermore, they have declined to make any statements before the investigation is completed.

Cyprus Mail asserts that the State Pathologist’s ruling that there was no criminal activity meant the CID did not investigate the matter.

However, it was decided on Sunday that an independent investigation would be carried out to address all concerns.

According to Phileleftheros, investigators have discovered a suitcase containing numerous documents relating to foreign nationals during the probe, which are now being investigated.

Dawn reports that Pakistan’s Foreign Office ambassador to Cyprus, who is based in Beirut, was in touch with Cypriot officials over the matter, and an update is expected soon.