Sahiwal incident: CTD officials deny opening fire on car before JIT
LAHORE (92 News) – The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials, under arrest who killed Khalil family and alleged terrorist Zeeshan in Sahiwal shootout, denied opening fire on the car during investigations before the joint investigation team (JIT). The sources informed that the JIT conducted investigation form the under arrest CTD official. During the investigation, the JIT asked who opened fire at the victims’ car and how they were killed. Replying to the question, the CTD accused said that they did not open fire at the car, the victims including Khalil family and driver Zeeshan from the firing of their companion on the motor bike. AJIT probing the case investigated the four CTD officials — Safdar, Ramzan, Saifullah and Hasnain. The sources also said that the JIT members asked the officials regarding who gave the orders to fire at the people in the car and they once again refused to have opened fire first. “Nobody ordered us, we only fired in retaliation,” the officials added.
Senate body rejects CTD’s claim about suicide jacket
Yesterday, the Additional Home Secretary Punjab briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights about the Sahiwal incident. The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights members rejected the CTD’s claim of presence of a suicide jacket in the car, terming it baseless. “The CTD officials would have not fired from a distance of four feet had they information about the suicide jacket. They would have stayed away at least 50 feet,” they maintained. They said that the bag was taken out from the car without checking it. It also rejected the joint investigation team for investigations into the matter. The body demanded that a judicial commission should be formed to probe the matter.
JIT holds CTD responsible for Sahiwal killings: Punjab law minister
Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat announced announced that the initial report of joint investigation team (JIT) has held officers of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) responsible for the killings of three members of the same family. The minister said that the JIT report found no link between Khalil family and terrorism, and hold the CTD officials behind their tragic extra-judicial killings. The law minister termed the Sahiwal alleged encounter as ‘100 percent correct’. He also said that the further investigation would be launched about the matter of Zeeshan, who already declared terrorist by the provincial government. Punjab govt decides to remove top police officials Raja Basharat said that the Punjab government has decided to remove several officers of the CTD upon recommendations of the investigation team. The law minister said the CTD Additional IGP and the DIG Sahiwal had immediately been removed from his post, while DIG CTD and the SSP, who led the Sahiwal encounter, were suspended.
The deadline given to the JIT by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has been expired. Talking to the media at the site, JIT chief Ijaz Shah said that they have not yet reached a conclusion. “We cannot give the report in two days. Six officials of the CTD are in custody. Statements of 3-4 witnesses have been recorded,” he added. He said that the JIT had been formed under Article 80 A. “The results have to be given in 30 days.
FIR lodged against 16 CTD officers in Sahiwal incident
On Sunday, The first information report (FIR) against 16 unknown Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials has been lodged under terrorism and murder sections at the Yousafwala police station. According to the details garnered, the FIR was lodged under 302 and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on behalf of Khaleel’s brother Jaleel. In the FIR, ten officials were in uniform and six without uniform.Four, including two women, killed by CTD in Sahiwal
Earlier Jan 19, four people, including two women, were killed by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials near toll plaza. A child was also injured in the cross-fire, while two remained unhurt. The injured has been shifted to hospital. The local police have expressed their ignorance about the incident. The CTD spokesman claimed that a CTD team tried to stop a car and bike, but the car riders opened fire on them. He said that four people, including two women, were killed. “Three terrorists managed to escape and have been identified as Shahid Jabbar, Abdul Rehman and their accomplice. This was part of the operation in Faisalabad that took place on January 16,” he added. He said that a killed terrorist has been identified, adding that the terrorists were traveling with the family to avoid the arrest. “It is a network of a banned organization who had killed three officers of the ISI in Multan and one in Faisalabad. Adeel Hafeez was killed in Faisalabad, while Zeeshan was killed in Sahiwal,” he disclosed. The CTD spokesman claimed that the terrorists had kidnapped a US national and son of former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani. “These terrorists had killed several people and were involved in several firing and blast incidents,” he said. He said that it was the most dangerous group of Daesh in Punjab. Witnesses said that no resistance was shown from the car. They added that the security personnel opened fire on the car and killed four people. They said that the officials took away three children from the site. The injured child said that they were going to their relatives in Burewala. “My father requested the policemen to get money and not open the fire at them. My father’s friend called Molvi was accompanying us,” he said.On the other hand, Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the Sahiwal incident and ordered to make the facts public. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar phoned the IGP Punjab and hold investigations into the incident.
