PM says the state should move the appeal if the victim family has refused to become party in the case.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint / UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-25th Oct, 2019) Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday directed Punjab government to move an appeal against decision of an Anti-Terrorism Court in which all accused of Sahiwal encounter were acquittal on benefit of doubt. The PM said if the victim family refused to be party in the case then the state should become the party and move appeal against the acquittal of the accused involved in killing three member of a family in Sahiwal encounter.
Khalil, his wife Nabila and daughter Areeba lost their lives when CTD officials while chasing a car at Sahiwal GT road opened indiscriminate firing just to kill Muhammad Zeeshan, a suspected terrorist. According to the sources, the PM directed to probe the poor investigation of the case and lacunas in the prosecution of the case.The video of Sahiwal encounter went viral on social media which grabbed huge public attention leading the government authorities to take strict action.
The CTD officials who conducted the operation and killed the innocent family were arrested by the order of Punjab government. The accused who have been set free included Safdar Hussain, Ahsan Khan, Ramzan, Saifullah, Hussain and Nasir Nawaz. All the accused who were set free are said to be the officials of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). Omair, Muniba and Hadia, all three children, were not hurt by the police and were left in a deserted area from where a man took them to a filliing station on GT road.
The court recorded statements of 49 witnesses including the statement of Ehtisham, the brother of terrorist Zeeshan, and ordered acquittal of all accused by giving them benefit of doubt as the prosecution could not come up with solid evidence against them to prove them guilty.The CTD initially claimed that the operation was carried out on the basis of information regarding the presence of suspected terrorists but the eye witnesses said that the family members were shot dead in cold blood by the CTD personnel and that no weapon was recovered from the vehicle after the alleged shootout.
The Punjab government, through a notification, announced the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the incident.It may be mentioned here that the incident came to the limelight when a video about killing of innocent family members went viral on social media.Omair, the elder child of the deceased family, said that the police took them out from the car and opened indscriminate firing on his father, mother and sister. The Forensic report proved that the firing was done by CTD officials which resulted in murder of innocent family.
