Home department forms JIT to probe Sabzi Mandi blast

JIT will look into FIR lodged at CTD police station a few days ago

LAHORE: The home department has formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe and finalise investigation of the Old Kot Lakhpat fruit market suicide bomb blast on Monday that claimed 26 lives and maimed several others for life.

A notification issued by the home department stated that the JIT would investigate the FIR lodged on Monday evening at the CTD police station. The case was registered on the complaint of CTD police station Inspector Abid Baig under multiple charges of terrorism, murder, attempt to murder against unidentified terrorists and their unidentified facilitators.



According to the FIR, police and civil officials of different departments were performing their duties in front of the old fruit and vegetable market in Kot Lakhpat on main Ferozepur Road when three unidentified suspects appeared at the scene. Two of them fled at around 3:55pm, leaving the third one behind to detonate his explosives near police officials and civilians. The blast was so powerful that the windowpanes of nearby buildings shattered.

The JIT, according to the notification, has been formed on the request of the provincial police officer, under section 19 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. According to the section, the JIT report is to be submitted within seven working days and forwarded directly to the Anti-Terrorism Court.

The  JIT shall  have  and  exercise same  powers as  are  vested in an officer incharge of a  police  station  under  the  Code. It would be led by CTD Lahore SSP Muhammad Iqbal, while representatives of ISI, IB, CIA Inspector Lahore Tariq Kiyani and CTD’s Inspector Muhammad Sadiq would be members. Inspector Muhammad Sadiq would be the investigating officer for police for the purpose of submission of report under section 173 of Criminal Procedure Code.

According to a senior police officer, the JIT is only a formality for filing a comprehensive report in such cases. He said that there was no more information to be found than what has already been determined and established by the bomb disposal squad and police.

The officer added that the fight against terror could only be won if fought on all fronts. “The police independently cannot fight terrorism,” he said.



He added that the biggest problem is the intensively long working hours for the entire service. He was of the view that staying alert for several hours a day was possible but staying alert throughout the day for the entire job tenure was impossible and police high-ups fail to understand this.

“Police need at least double its strength if we are to keep people safe and communities should be taken on board with police,” he said.

Around 300 policemen have lost their lives in the line of duty in a decade in Punjab, he pointed out. This was high time that police addressed its shortcomings, he said, while appreciating the Shuhuda Package, saying it was really a morale booster for officials.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2017.