Sahiwal shootout: CTD personnel taken into custody on CM Buzdar’s order

F.P. Report

LAHORE: The Counter Terrorism Department officials involved in the alleged extrajudicial killing of a family were taken into custody on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, said a CM house spokesperson.

The CTD claimed that four people, including two women, said to be affiliated with Daish were killed in a shootout near Sahiwal in a cross-fire. However, moments after the alleged encounter the family and eyewitnesses disputed the claim, prompting questions over its legality.

Dr Shahbaz Gill said that CM Buzdar is en route to Sahiwal from Mianwali.

The Punjab chief minister gave the directives hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the incident. 

The premier in his call with the chief minister ordered immediate inquiry report on the incident and demanded Buzdar to ensure transparent investigation.

Meanwhile, a Joint Investigative Team under DIG Zulfiqar Hameed has been formed to investigate the alleged shootout. The JIT would include the members of ISI, MI and IB, and will present its report in three-day time.

Muhammad Umair Khalil the injured child who was in the vehicle at the time of the incident spoke to media. Umair revealed that he was travelling to Burewala for his uncle’s wedding with his father (Khaleel), mother (Nabeela), elder sister (Areeba), father’s friend (Zeeshan) and two younger sisters when the vehicle was stopped.

“When we were stopped my father begged to take the money and forgive us, but they opened fire.”

The child said his father, mother, elder sister and father’s friend were killed in the firing and kept back in the vehicle. “The police left us [Umair, younger sisters] at a petrol pump and we were later taken to a hospital,” he added.

Jaleel the brother of Khaleel told reporters the family was travelling for the wedding in a three-car convoy. “1122 informed us that the children were at the Civil Hospital, but they were unaware of where the dead bodies were.”

Eyewitnesses conflicted CTD’s statements and said the people in the car did not fire at officials. “There were no weapons found with the bodies,” they said.

The eyewitnesses further said that the children while speaking to them at a nearby petrol station claimed that the “police has killed their parents”.

“Following the firing incident, the police left the children at the petrol station where they spoke to us,” they added.

A few minutes later, however, CTD officials returned and took the children with them to an undisclosed location,” the eyewitnesses added.