SC seeks report on 2019 Sahiwal tragedy

The Supreme Court has sought a report from the Punjab government on January 2019 Sahiwal tragedy – an alleged encounter in which Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) killed four  people including three members of a family on a highway near Sahiwal city.

A division bench, comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi, issued this order on Wednesday while hearing the bail plea of ​​Hafiz Mohammad Usman, a police officer accused of shooting a civilian in a separate incident that took place in Lahore on March 13, 2020.

During the hearing, the counsel for ​​Hafiz Mohammad Usman told the court that the Dolphin Police Force in Lahore had received a phone call with regard to alleged illegal activities committed by a Muhammad Hasan Bhatti.

Read more: Sahiwal killings: ATC acquits all accused CTD personnel

“When the police carried out a raid, Bhatti tried to flee in his car. The police opened fire on him, injuring him fatally. Later, Bhatti died during treatment at a hospital,” he said, adding that Bhatti had a criminal record.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa lamented that police took the life of a person just on the basis of a phone call. He then recalled the Sahiwal tragedy and asked Punjab Additional Prosecutor General Abid Majeed Mirza, who was present in the courtroom, as to what happened in the case.

Mirza told the court that the case is probably pending before the Lahore High Court (LHC).

“I don't understand what the Punjab government and police are doing,” Justice Isa said.

“No one is going to ask the killers of innocent civilians. Tell me what the Punjab government did in the Sahiwal tragedy and what action it took against the culprits,” he said, directing the additional prosecutor general to submit a report on the incident.

In October 2019, a special bench of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) acquitted all the six officials of the Punjab CTD who were accused of the brutal murder of four people near Sahiwal.

Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta had given the police officials the benefit of doubt. He had announced the verdict after hearing testimonies of 49 witnesses, including the brother of one of the victims.

The accused - Safdar Hussain, Ahsan Khan, Ramzan, Saifullah, Hasnain and Nasir Nawaz - had shot dead a couple, Khalil and Nabeela, their daughter Areeba, and another man Zeeshan on January 19, 2019.
 

Bhatti’s case

The counsel for Bhatti’s family contended that the policeman who opened fire on Bhatti, Abdul Razzaq, had a monetary dispute with the victim.

The bench, however, granted bail to the policeman, Hafiz Mohammad Usman, as all the other policemen accused in the case including Abdul Razzaq have already been granted bail.