Punjab govt challenges ATC ruling in Sahiwal encounter case

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Monday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the acquittal of suspects in the Sahiwal encounter case, which saw four people were allegedly gunned down by Punjab Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) earlier this year, ARY News reported.

The appeal was filed by Additional Prosecutor Abdul Samad Khan in Lahore High Court.

In a petition filed in LHC, Punjab govt maintained that either the investigation of the case went in the wrong direction or the witnesses changed their statements.

The Punjab government approached the LHC after Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday directed provincial govt to challenge the ATC’s decision.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan tweeted on Friday that the prime minister has also instructed the authorities to investigate weaknesses and shortfalls in the case.

Read: Sahiwal encounter: ‘We are not satisfied with JIT probe,’ says Khalil’s brother

In a subsequent tweet, Awan said that the whole country had seen the video of the parents being shot in front of their children. “The government is committed to providing justice to [these] innocent children. If their family doesn’t become the plaintiff, then the state will act as the plaintiff in the case.”

ATC’s verdict

The ATC in its verdict on October 24, had acquitted all six suspects in the case of killing four persons in an alleged encounter earlier this year. Six accused namely, Safdar, Ahsan, Saifullah, Husnain and Nasir were acquitted due to lack of evidence giving them the benefit of doubt.

During hearings of the case, the court had recorded statements of 49 witnesses, including close relatives of a victim Zeeshan and another victim Mohammad Khalil.

The Sahiwal tragedy

In January, four people, including two women, were killed in a shady encounter involving the Punjab police’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district on Saturday noon.

The CTD officials maintained that a car was signalled to stop along with a bike near Sahiwal Toll Plaza but the alleged terrorists resorted to firing, adding that three terrorists were able to flee away. “This incident was a continuity of the Jan 16 operation carried out in Faisalabad.”

The victims were identified as grocery store owner Mohammad Khalil, his wife Nabila, their 13-year-old daughter Areeba and their friend who was driving the car, Zeeshan Javed. Their son Umair Khalil sustained bullet wounds while his sister Muniba’s hand also sustained gunshot-related injuries and Hadiba, their younger sister remained unhurt.