‘Police shielding gunman who shot my son eight times’

LAHORE: It started off as a journey to meet a relative in Jamilabad, but ended in a nightmare which had his son lying in a pool of blood.

Muhammad Nadeem was on his merry way in Mughalpura with his two sons Azeem and Kamran. As the three neared Darbar Abdullah Shah Gilani, three armed men ambushed them. “One of the gunmen, Shahbaz alias Bhalli, yelled at Azeem and threatened to kill him before firing eight bullets. I lost my senses when I saw Azeem screaming in a pool of blood on the ground. He was riding the bike in front of my eyes a few minutes before that.” The father alleged Bhalli was a worker of the ruling PML-N.  The suspects fled from the scene, while the family called Rescue 1122 which shifted the victim to the Services Hospital for treatment.  The victim went through over eight hours of surgery.



“Every moment of seeing my son fighting for his life is hell. Only a father can feel such emotion,” he said.

The police have yet to arrest the suspect. The father said when the force was asked on Thursday at 5 pm, investigation officer ASI Muhammad Zubair confirmed nobody had been taken into custody. He had come to record statements of the injured and was yet to start formal investigations, the father added.

Elaborating over the background of Wednesday night’s attack, a relative of the victim told The Express Tribune that the suspect had beaten up a brother of Azeem over a petty dispute a month ago. When he passed through Bhalli’s street the next day, the accused again assaulted him. Azeem and other family members tried to rescue their relative and a full blown brawl ensued. Bhalli also received injuries during the conflict and he gathered associates to strike back.

FIR No. 329/17 was registered against Azeem and other family members on the complaint of Shahbaz Bhalli. Azeem and his supporters also suffered injuries during the brawl, but police did not entertain their application for a medical examination and FIR against Bhalli.

They filed a complaint with the CCPO office to seek permission for the medical examination and registration of an FIR, but got no response. They later moved the court which ordered the medical examination and it was finally conducted. The medical examination stated that a bone of victim was fractured and an MLC report suggested 337-F of the Pakistan Penal Code be included in the case.



The relative alleged a PML-N bigwig was applying political pressure on the police. Requesting anonymity, a police superintendent confirmed that whenever they summoned Shahbaz Bhalli for investigations, a call would come from a senior political personality.

The relative of Azeem said Bhalli arranged transport for processions or rallies of PML-N and therefore maintained a close affiliation with a bigwig of the ruling party. “Due to his this link, he had become a local goon, creating a nuisance for neighbours,” he added. There were countless examples of the accused’s activities which were confirmed by locals during a visit to Missri Shah.

Investigation Officer ASI Ashraf said police were investigating the matter on merit. Talking about the medical examination, he said action would be taken according to the law.  Efforts were made to contact SP City Investigations Karar Hussain, but he was not available to comment on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2017.