Sahiwal shootout: Zeeshan ‘a facilitator of Daesh’, Punjab Assembly told

LAHORE: Punjab government on Thursday presented proofs establishing affiliation of Zeeshan, one of the persons killed in Sahiwal shootout, with Daesh, before the provincial lawmakers in an in-camera briefing, ARY News reported.

Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Fazeel Asghar while briefing the lawmakers said that Zeeshan Javed was a facilitator of Abdul Rehman group of Daesh.

Asghar said the Sahiwal incident was a continuation of Operation Zulfiqar – an effort ongoing since 2017 to root-out the terrorist network from Punjab.

Read More: CTD officials put suicide jackets, weapons in victims’ car: sources

He told the lawmakers that other members of Abdul Rehman group included Abdul Hafeez, who was the Naib Ameer (Deputy Leader), Usman Haroon, Kashif Chotu, Rizwan Akram and others.

He said that Zeeshan was in contact with the terrorists, and was also involved in kidnapping of retired Brigadier Tahir Masood and Ali Hyder Gilani, son of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani.

Earlier, the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department had provided the details of vehicle used by the victims of Sahiwal incident to the joint investigation team probing the case.

The car number LEA-6683 was on the name a woman, resident of Lahore in March 2012. Later the car was transferred on the name of Shoukat Ali resident of Okara in July 2017. In July 2017 the Azeem Liaquat had bout the car.  After Azeem Liaquat, the car was not transferred to any anyone else.

Read More: Sahiwal ‘encounter’ ‘100 percent correct’; CTD officials responsible removed: Punjab law minister

While the intelligence sources said that a terrorist Adeel Hafiz had bought the car from Saqib Majeed in May 2018. However, Zeeshan was driving the car when the incident took place in Sahiwal.

It is pertinent to mention here that the JIT in its initial report had declared character of Zeeshan ‘suspicious’, while Khalil and his family members had been declared innocent on January 22.

Sources privy to the matter have said the victims of Sahiwal shootout Khalil and his family were cleared, while suspicion was shown over owner of the vehicle, Zeeshan.

Reportedly, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel had exercised their powers by crossing their domain.