Victim’s brother brands CTD officials as ‘real terrorists’
The minor children injured during the Sahiwal tragedy were discharged from Lahore General Hospital
PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials who killed unarmed innocent civilians are the real terrorists, not my brother. This was stated by Ehtesham, the brother of Zeeshan, who among the four people killed in a murky ‘encounter’ on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district.
He expressed these views while speaking to the media at his home on Monday. He questioned why CTD officials opened fire when his brother did not offer resistance. He maintained that he had been living in the area for the past 25 to 30 years and never even got a whiff of his brother’s alleged nefarious activities.
“Zeeshan had never even seen the inside of a police station,” Ehtesham said. “He was so scared of insects that he would jump up on the charpoy when he spotted them on the ground,” he continued. The brother asked how such a man could be labelled a terrorist. “Even our mother is being labelled as the one who gave birth to a terrorist,” he added.
Ehtesham added that he himself was a part of the Dolphin Squad. “When I joined the force, I submitted a copy of my brother’s CNIC,” he said. “If reports of him being a terrorist are true, why did the department concerned give me the job,” he questioned.
He demanded that Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharrat take back his statement which labelled Zeeshan as a terrorist and register am FIR on his complaint.
Meanwhile, the brother of Muhammad Khalil, another one of the victims of the incident, stated that no government representatives had contacted them. He expressed that the government was offering Rs20 million as monetary compensation for the death of his brother, sister-in-law and niece.
“I will gladly give them Rs25 million if they can bring back my loved ones,” he said.
Meanwhile, the joint investigation team (JIT) visited the crime scene and recorded eyewitness statements. Two more members were added to the team. Initial investigations suggest that the operation was conducted under the command of CTD Sub Inspector Safdar Hussain. Four other members of the team have been identified as Ahsan Khan, Muhammad Ramzan, Saifullah and Hasnain Akbar.
Further, the minor children injured during the Sahiwal tragedy were discharged from Lahore General Hospital (LGH) on Monday. A six-member medical board examined both the children and declared them fit to be discharged. Dr Muhammad Tayyab stated that the children will be given counselling at home. Female psychiatrists will visit the children on a daily basis, he said.
This will help them face the trauma they endured, he said. He added that as per the directions of the Punjab chief minister, LGH will provide the kids with medical assistance whenever they need it.
The children’s relatives expressed their satisfaction over the quality of healthcare. They maintained that the doctors and nurses extended their full cooperation and they have no complaints in this regard. LGH Medical Superintendent Dr Mahmood Salauddin stated that both the children have been handed over to their uncle Muhammad Jalil.
On Saturday, four people – including two women – were killed in an ‘encounter’ involving Punjab’s counterterrorism police on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district.
The police first identified the victims as “kidnappers” and then as “terrorists of a proscribed group”, raising doubts over the “encounter”.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed in a statement that the law enforcers signalled a Suzuki Alto car and a motorcycle to stop near Sahiwal Toll Plaza on GT Road, but they did not pull over and instead opened fire.
The police retaliated and four people, including two women, were killed by the “firing of their own accomplices” in the ensuing shootout, according to the CTD. The victims have been identified as Muhammad Khalil, his wife Nabeela, 13-year-old daughter Areeba and a neighbour.
Three children were also recovered from the “trunk of the car”. The children, who were shifted to the DHQ hospital, contradicted the CTD version, saying the fatalities included their parents, elder sister and a family friend named Zeeshan, and that they were travelling from Lahore to Burewala to attend a wedding.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials who killed unarmed innocent civilians are the real terrorists, not my brother. This was stated by Ehtesham, the brother of Zeeshan, who among the four people killed in a murky ‘encounter’ on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district.
He expressed these views while speaking to the media at his home on Monday. He questioned why CTD officials opened fire when his brother did not offer resistance. He maintained that he had been living in the area for the past 25 to 30 years and never even got a whiff of his brother’s alleged nefarious activities.
“Zeeshan had never even seen the inside of a police station,” Ehtesham said. “He was so scared of insects that he would jump up on the charpoy when he spotted them on the ground,” he continued. The brother asked how such a man could be labelled a terrorist. “Even our mother is being labelled as the one who gave birth to a terrorist,” he added.
Ehtesham added that he himself was a part of the Dolphin Squad. “When I joined the force, I submitted a copy of my brother’s CNIC,” he said. “If reports of him being a terrorist are true, why did the department concerned give me the job,” he questioned.
He demanded that Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharrat take back his statement which labelled Zeeshan as a terrorist and register am FIR on his complaint.
Meanwhile, the brother of Muhammad Khalil, another one of the victims of the incident, stated that no government representatives had contacted them. He expressed that the government was offering Rs20 million as monetary compensation for the death of his brother, sister-in-law and niece.
“I will gladly give them Rs25 million if they can bring back my loved ones,” he said.
Meanwhile, the joint investigation team (JIT) visited the crime scene and recorded eyewitness statements. Two more members were added to the team. Initial investigations suggest that the operation was conducted under the command of CTD Sub Inspector Safdar Hussain. Four other members of the team have been identified as Ahsan Khan, Muhammad Ramzan, Saifullah and Hasnain Akbar.
Further, the minor children injured during the Sahiwal tragedy were discharged from Lahore General Hospital (LGH) on Monday. A six-member medical board examined both the children and declared them fit to be discharged. Dr Muhammad Tayyab stated that the children will be given counselling at home. Female psychiatrists will visit the children on a daily basis, he said.
This will help them face the trauma they endured, he said. He added that as per the directions of the Punjab chief minister, LGH will provide the kids with medical assistance whenever they need it.
The children’s relatives expressed their satisfaction over the quality of healthcare. They maintained that the doctors and nurses extended their full cooperation and they have no complaints in this regard. LGH Medical Superintendent Dr Mahmood Salauddin stated that both the children have been handed over to their uncle Muhammad Jalil.
On Saturday, four people – including two women – were killed in an ‘encounter’ involving Punjab’s counterterrorism police on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district.
The police first identified the victims as “kidnappers” and then as “terrorists of a proscribed group”, raising doubts over the “encounter”.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed in a statement that the law enforcers signalled a Suzuki Alto car and a motorcycle to stop near Sahiwal Toll Plaza on GT Road, but they did not pull over and instead opened fire.
The police retaliated and four people, including two women, were killed by the “firing of their own accomplices” in the ensuing shootout, according to the CTD. The victims have been identified as Muhammad Khalil, his wife Nabeela, 13-year-old daughter Areeba and a neighbour.
Three children were also recovered from the “trunk of the car”. The children, who were shifted to the DHQ hospital, contradicted the CTD version, saying the fatalities included their parents, elder sister and a family friend named Zeeshan, and that they were travelling from Lahore to Burewala to attend a wedding.