Experts to join Wazirabad probe

JIT decides to form board to help investigate firing on IK

LAHORE:

The joint investigation team (JIT) conducting an inquiry into the incident of firing on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in Wazirabad has decided to form a board of experts to proceed further with its work.

Three suspects in the case, Naveed, Khuram and Waqas, are in police custody. Naveed had said in his initial statement leaked through video footage that he had shot at Khan's container because he was frustrated over the leader misleading the youth.

According to police sources, he has stuck to his words at each stage of the investigations since his arrest.

The other two suspects had been taken into custody over suspicion of facilitating the shooter. One of them is suspected of having sold him the gun used in the attack.

However, the PTI and its chairman had asserted since day one that the suspects taken into custody were merely foot soldiers and the attack was the result of a conspiracy.

Imran Khan had alleged that the prime minister, a federal minister and an officer were involved in orchestrating the attack on him.

Party leaders had also nominated the influential individuals in their application for the registration of the first information report (FIR) of the attack in a police station.

The JIT has also reportedly summoned federal ministers Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Javed Latif on Saturday.

Recently, the JIT arranged polygraph tests of the suspects at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA). All the suspects reiterated their stance during the test of having acted on their own.

Reportedly, the JIT, whose convener is police officer Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, did not buy the result and expressed reservations.

To proceed further, the team has decided to engage a board of doctors and experts in other fields to authenticate the investigation process.

The source said the Punjab Police investigators had been adamant to investigate the matter in accordance with the facts and evidence in the high-profile case.

The PTI’s differences with Punjab’s top cop over the matter escalated to a level that senior leaders started bashing him in public gatherings.

The federation was also approached with a demand to replace Inspector General Faisal Shahkar.

IGP Shahkar later requested to be relieved from his post and went on leave when his request was ignored.

Additional IG Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, since he was transferred and later suspended by the Establishment Division after a case was registered against some Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders in Green Town police station appears to have become a favourite of the Punjab government.

After the JIT was constituted, its formulation was changed thrice until Dogar was appointed the convener. He reportedly had also visited Imran Khan’s residence at Zaman Park.

Reportedly, for the past few days Khan has also been expressing reservations about the official, especially after the registration of a case against his aide Shahbaz Gill in Lahore recently.

The decision to go for the constitution of a board was made to ensure the neutrality and authenticity of the investigations process, shared an official in the JIT. Meanwhile, the JIT has been busy recording the statements of PTI leaders and other persons present at the time of the incident.

On Wednesday, it had recorded the statements of several leaders, including Yasmeen Rashid and Zubair Niazi.

On Thursday, it noted the names of security guards and other persons who were present on the container when the attacker opened fire at it.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2022.