F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Expressing reservations on the joint investigation team (JIT) formed by the Punjab government to investigate the Sahiwal police encounter incident, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday dismissed its report.
Talking to media, senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said, “The JIT drama is a joke with the nation and we completely reject this drama of the government.” Rana Sanaullah said Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said that the Sahiwal operation was 100 percent correct and the other provincial ministers said all those killed in the operation were terrorists. “They said names of all the four dead were in the red book and two of them managed to flee on motorbike,” he said adding that no link of terrorism could so far been established with them. He said it was a serious joke with the nation.
The former provincial law minister said the case was lodged against unidentified persons despite arrest of the culprits. He demanded investigation to find out if anybody misused his authority.
He said when the incident of Model Town massacre took place the then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended the police officers the same day, while the chiefs of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf manipulated it to take down the government. Seeking Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and PM Imran Khan’s resignation, Rana Sanaullah said 1200 police personnel were performing duty just on security of the CM on the day of the incident. “PM Khan and CM Buzdar should resign over the Sahiwal incident,” he said adding that they should resume their offices after proving themselves innocent.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Punjab law minister termed the Sahiwal encounter ‘100 percent right’ and said the initial investigation report by the JIT had held the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials responsible for the loss of innocent lives in Sahiwal.
The provincial law minister said that in light of the JIT report, Additional IGP of the CTD and the DIG Sahiwal were immediately being removed from their posts, while DIG and the SSP of CTD had been suspended.
He said five officers of the CTD would be produced before an anti-terrorism court and have been charged under Section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Basharat termed it as a ‘test-case’ for Punjab Government, and said that the government was committed to provide justice to the bereaved families.
