Prime suspect in Wazirabad attack challenges JIT

Imran Khan's alleged shooter claims investigation team showing 'political malice' and including fake suspects

LAHORE:

The prime accused in the alleged assassination attempt on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has challenged the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the matter.

Naveed, who allegedly shot the former premier, filed an application before the Interior Ministry on Thursday, claiming that the JIT was showing political malice.

The application added that differences among members of the investigation team were confirmed in official correspondence.

According to the complaint, the JIT chief introduced fictitious witnesses and suspects in the case and produced false self-made evidence. It added that the witnesses and suspects introduced by the JIT chief had met with him.

The application stated that JIT chief Ghulam Mehmood Dogar and civil officer Anwar Shah included fake witnesses and accused in the case to please Imran Khan.

It continued that after the JIT chiefs made serious allegations against each other, they handed over the investigation to a civil officer. The petition maintained that according to the law, a civil officer could not investigate a case of terrorism.

The petition added that the head of JIT and the civil officer were denying the petitioner his constitutional and legal rights.

Naveed pleaded that under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the federal government reserved the authority to withdraw the investigation of any case from any investigator. He requested that the government should immediately withdraw the investigation of the case from the present JIT.

The application said that the inquiry into the case should be entrusted to honest and politically-free police officers.

Last week, all four members of the JIT disputed certain claims in the media about their findings, saying that their divergent views were not given “due weight” by the JIT head.

In a joint statement, Dera Ghazi Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurram Ali, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Punjab, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Naseebulllah Khan, Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Monitoring, Punjab, Ehsanullah Chohan and SP Potohar Division Malik Tariq Mehboob distanced themselves from “some of the conclusions drawn and being shown on media”.

Imran sustained injuries in a gun attack in Wazirabad on November 3, while leading his ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ march towards Islamabad.

One person died in the shooting, while several members of the PTI chairman’s close circle, including Faisal Javaid, Imran Ismail, Ahmad Chattha and Imran Yousaf were also injured.