Sahiwal operation conducted on concrete evidence: Raja Basharat

F.P. Report

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Law Raja Basharat on Sunday said that the Sahiwal operation was carried out on concrete evidence.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, he said that according to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Zeeshan was working for proscribed organization Daesh and he opened fire on police party.

The minister said that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) will probe into why Zeeshan was travelling with the family.

Basharat went on to say that that the terrorists travelled to Sahiwal on a Honda City car on January 13, adding that on January 18, it was confirmed that Zeeshan was working for terrorists.

The provincial minister said that there could have been a huge disaster if the terrorists weren’t chased, adding that the CTD and ISI had jointly conducted the operation.

“Zeeshan was killed in Sahiwal, while his accomplices have been killed in Gujranwala,” he said.

Basharat said that a JIT has been constituted to probe into the alleged encounter of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Sahiwal that killed at least four persons including two women.

He said: “An FIR against 16 police officers has also been lodged under section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, at the Yousafwala police station.”

“The terrorist network was involved in various terrorism incidents including in the kidnapping of Ali Haider Gillani,” the minister said.

Responding to a question, the minister said that Zeeshan Zeeshan was a terrorist but the CTD had no intentions of killing Khalil and his family members.

The law-enforcement agencies had recovered a suicide vest from Zeeshan’s car, while weapons and explosive material was also seized from his car.