ISLAMABAD — Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar over the killing of four people at the hands of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Sahiwal.
According to media reports, the CM Buzadar will brief the premier over the incident while he will also inform about the suspension of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials.
Moreover, the CM will also discuss the initial report submitted by the joint investigation team (JIT) investigating into the matter.
PM Imran is also expected to seek the chief minister’s advice regarding reforms in Punjab police and will direct him to appoint a focal person on the matter.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/pm-imran-handed-jit-report-on-sahiwal-killings/
On Wednesday, the Punjab government presented the report of the Sahiwal tragedy to PM Imran.
LHC summons JIT members
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has formed a two-member bench to hear the Sahiwal encounter case and summoned the JIT members to review progress into the investigation.
Hearing a petition to conduct a judicial inquiry into the Sahiwal incident, LHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan asked Punjab Inspector General Amjad Javed Saleemi about the progress of the investigation into the incident.
Following this, the petitioner’s lawyers told the court that “statements of all the witness had not been recorded”.
“How was the police allowed to fire?” the chief justice asked the IG.
To this, the inspector general said that the CTD officials involved in the incident have been suspended and a JIT has been formed to probe the incident.
“The investigations will be completed within 30 days,” Saleemi added.
Moreover, Justice Khan told the petitioner that “the provincial government does not have the power to form a judicial commission, the federal government does”.
To this, the petitioner replied that “a request has been submitted to the federal government regarding the same”.
Following this, a two-member bench was formed to hear the case and the LHC chief justice summoned the JIT members in the next hearing to be held on Jan 28.
Earlier, PM Imran had said that if the need arose, a judicial commission is likely to be formed. He had further said that “the incident was being probed by the JIT and the findings would be shared with the nation”.
Saturday’s shootout drew nationwide condemnation after an elite squad of the Punjab police killed grocery store owner, his wife and his teenage daughter.
Khalil, a resident of Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat area, his wife Nabeela, their 13-year-old daughter, and their neighbour, Zeeshan, were on their way to a wedding in Burewala when they were killed in firing on their car near the toll plaza on GT Road in the Qadirabad area.
Three children in the car survived. Khalil and Nabeela’s minor son sustained a bullet injury while their two other daughters remained unhurt.
The killings sent a shock wave across the country as one of the three surviving children who were witness to the episode denied the official version in a video that went viral on social media.
The premier, in a Twitter post, wrote that he would not only ensure the guilty are given exemplary punishment but also “review the entire structure of Punjab police and start process of reforming it.”
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/sahiwal-killings-cm-removes-top-ctd-officers-over-jit-report/
The Punjab government had consequently sacked officials of the CTD, including additional inspector general (AIG), deputy inspector general (DIG), senior superintendent of police (SSP) and deputy superintendent of police (DSP), after the preliminary report of the JIT found them responsible for the Sahiwal encounter.
