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Pakistan charges six Rangers with murder
(Reuters) - A Pakistani court on Wednesday charged six members of a paramilitary force with murder for the killing of an unarmed man, a rare action against the country's powerful security establishment.
The incident, which took place this month in city of Karachi, was caught on videotape and broadcast on television, deepening anger against the security forces already under pressure since Osama bin Laden's killing in May in a U.S. raid.
Pakistan's security establishment has suffered a series of setbacks since the United States kept the military in the dark about the special forces operation that killed the al Qaeda leader.
A handful of Pakistani Taliban militants assaulted a naval base in Karachi, causing further embarrassment.
The shooting of the unarmed man triggered fresh criticism of Pakistan's human rights record and an unpopular government, which many say has failed to rein in the police and army that are often seen as untouchable.
The footage shows the soldiers from the Rangers force opening fire at close range at the man identified as Sarfaraz Shah in a public park in Karachi.
A civilian -- who has also been charged with murder -- is seen grabbing the victim by the hair and dragging him over to a group of Rangers. The unarmed man pleads for mercy, then one of the soldiers shoots him twice.
The footage also shows the victim falls to the ground and screams in pain, with the soldiers standing beside him.
He collapses in a pool of blood beside the park named after late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was seen around the world as a symbol of democracy.
The accused all denied the charges.
(Reporting by Imtiaz Shah; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Yoko Nishikawa)
Pakistan charges six Rangers with murder | Reuters
