Sahiwal 'encounter': Rehman Malik refutes claims of calling victims’ families to Islamabad

Says affected families will be invited to attend Senate committee meeting next week

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate's Standing Committee on Interior Rehman Malik refuted on Saturday claims that the families of those killed in the Sahiwal ‘encounter’ were called to Islamabad by the committee.

Four people including parents Khalil and Nabeela, their teenage daughter, and their family friend, Zeeshan, who was driving the car were slain during a counter-terrorism police ‘encounter’ in the Punjab town earlier this month.

The incident sent shock waves across the country as one of the three surviving children, who were witness to the episode, denied the official version in a video that went viral on social media.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, the PPP leader said “no official notice by the committee’s secretary was issued to the families of Sahiwal victims to attend the meeting of committee, held on Friday, January 25.”



He said a questionnaire was sent to the secretary interior on January 22, containing 42 questions, including details of the family members of Sahiwal victims, so that proper notices could be issued to them for their points of view and written statements in next meeting of the committee.

Malik said since it was important to know the viewpoint of the bereaved families, therefore, they would be certainly invited to appear before the committee to record their statements. In that regard, an official notice would be issued to the families to attend the committee meeting, he added.

The former interior minister said that the victims' families and local councillors will be issued notices to attend the meeting of the committee next week.

Members of the National and Punjab assemblies belonging to the area would also attend the meeting for their input, Malik added.

He said that the Senate committee was monitoring the investigation process and awaiting final report of the joint investigation team.