RAWALPINDI – A man was shot dead by law enforcement personnel on Rawalpindi’s Mall Road on Tuesday after allegedly opening fire on security forces and injuring an official, police said.
Rawalpindi police identified the man as Muhammad Hussain and said he was killed when personnel returned fire.
Police said initial evidence and alleged links had been found through the suspect’s mobile phone and other belongings, while further investigation was underway.
“Law enforcement agencies remain fully prepared and committed to eliminating all forms of terrorism and incitement to unrest,” the police statement said.
Meanwhile, state broadcaster PTV News, citing security sources, reported that Hussain was a resident of Khyber district and an alleged “active PTI member”. According to the report, a PTI flag, ammunition and weapons were also recovered from him.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar condemned what he described as PTI’s “politics of violence” in a statement aired by news channels following the incident.
Television footage showed a red-and-green piece of cloth, a firearm and bullets reportedly recovered from the suspect.
Tarar said there was no justification for firing at security personnel and confirmed that the incident had occurred on Mall Road in Rawalpindi.
He criticised the PTI over its planned September 27 long march to Islamabad, alleging that party protests had repeatedly involved armed participants and attacks on security personnel.
The minister claimed that the incident demonstrated what he called the PTI’s “nefarious aims” and accused the party of seeking to create disorder and undermine law and order.
He also pointed to the alleged recovery of a PTI flag and other documents from the suspect as evidence of the party’s purported involvement.
Tarar further alleged that the PTI had announced its long march shortly after Pakistan received international recognition following the signing of a trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
The minister also referred to previous PTI protests that coincided with visits by foreign leaders, alleging that the party’s demonstrations were aimed at disrupting stability and damaging the country.
The PTI, however, rejected any connection to the incident and said attempts were being made to associate the party with violence.
PTI Islamabad Regional President Amir Mughal said the party believed in peaceful and unarmed political struggle and rejected efforts to link it to violent activities.
Mughal called for the facts surrounding the incident to be made public and urged authorities not to use the episode to target the PTI politically.
He also rejected portrayals of the PTI as a terrorist or anti-state organisation, claiming that the party had received strong public backing in the February 8, 2024 general elections.
