Supreme Court directs Punjab govt to submit report on Sahiwal tragedy

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab government to submit a report on the Sahiwal tragedy.

Apart from directing the Punjab government to submit a report, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi, also approved the bail of Hafiz Muhammad Usman — the police officer accused of shooting civilians in Sahiwal.

During the hearing, Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked the additional prosecutor general Punjab what had happened to the Sahiwal tragedy report.

“Innocent children were killed in Sahiwal, innocent people were killed due to one phone call,” observed Justice Isa. He added that he was “confused” by what the Punjab government was doing in the province.

“No one is there to ask the killers about the murder of innocent civilians. What did the Punjab government do on the Sahiwal tragedy?” asked the judge.

However, the lawyer for the Punjab government told the bench he thinks that the case was being heard in the high court.

Upon hearing this, the court directed the additional prosecutor to file a report on the Sahiwal tragedy, while the bench also sought a reply in the bail of Hafiz Muhammad Usman.

Four, including two women, killed in CTD operation

In January 2019, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab government claimed that a local commander of militant organisation Daesh, and three others, including two women, were killed in an operation near the GT Road.

"Four people, including two women and Daesh local commander Zeeshan, have been killed and one child has been injured in the cross-fire,” a CTD spokesperson said. The suspects were kidnappers and three children were recovered from them, police said.

"Three terrorists managed to escape and have been identified as Shahid Jabbar, Abdul Rehman and their accomplice," the spokesperson added.

According to the spokesperson, "A CTD team tried to intercept a car and motorcycle near the toll plaza, however, the people in the car starting firing at them."

The CTD maintained that the deceased were high-level targets who were also involved in the kidnapping of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's son.

"The operation was conducted as part of the one in Faisalabad which took place on January 16," the spokesperson further said.

However, eyewitnesses said the people in the car did not fire at officials, nor were any explosives recovered from the vehicle. Meanwhile, the surviving children said that those killed were their parents and a sister and not kidnappers as earlier claimed by the police.

The CTD officials involved in the alleged extrajudicial killing were taken into custody on the orders of Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar.