News Desk |
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has compiled and submitted to chief minister Punjab, a final report on the Sahiwal killings incident in which three members of a family were shot dead in an extrajudicial killing. The tragic incident received nationwide backlash and severe criticism on law enforcement agencies, as well as pressure on the provincial and federal government for police reforms.
Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report claimed that Khalil and his family were innocent and their lives could be saved. It was negligence at the part of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel that ended up killing three lives.
However, the report says that Zeeshan, the fourth person who was killed, was indeed a facilitator of terrorists. His mobile phone data’s forensic report revealed that he had been in contact with the leadership of banned outfits operating from Afghanistan. The car he was driving during the Sahiwal incident too was owned by a terrorist named Adeel Hafeez, local media reported.
Zeeshan was driving a vehicle carrying family when Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel sprayed them with bullets, calling them terrorists. The counsel said Zeeshan had been declared terrorist before an investigation.
On January 19th, four people were killed in an alleged encounter in Sahiwal, with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel claiming they had killed a local commander of militant organization ISIS and three others as collateral in the operation. Eyewitnesses, however, disputed the claim and said the people in the car did not fire at officials, nor were any explosives recovered from the vehicle. In the time that followed, various versions of the incident appeared leading to the reports of the police having misplaced the evidence, allegedly on purpose.
In the report, however, it was reiterated that the deceased family members were innocent and they were wrongly murdered. The JIT report also recommended strict action against the CTD officials who made changes in the record. The officials under custody have been imprisoned on a 14-day judicial remand.
Read more:Â Lahore top court orders Judicial probe into Sahiwal incident
On the other hand, the family of Khalil has rejected the report of the joint investigation team (JIT) that declared his slain family members ‘innocent.’ Jalil, brother of Khalil, said he had never given any such statement claiming that Zeeshan had contacts with the terrorists. The JIT report is based on incorrect information, he added. The lawyer of Jalil said primarily the copy of the report should have first been given to the brother of Zeeshan, who is accused of sheltering terrorists of the banned outfit.
Zeeshan was driving a vehicle carrying family when Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel sprayed them with bullets, calling them terrorists. The counsel said Zeeshan had been declared terrorist before an investigation. He said the case was being manipulated to protect top officials. He demanded that a judicial commission be formed to probe the incident thoroughly.
Read more:Â Sahiwal Tragedy: PM directs CM Punjab to consider Judicial Commission formation
Jalil said his family didn’t accept the JIT report and reiterated his demand to form a judicial commission for inquiry.