Wazirabad attack JIT members replaced

Four members relieved of duty over differences with Lahore CCPO

LAHORE:

The Punjab Home Department has issued a notification for the replacement of four members of the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the gun attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Nov 3 last year.

The move comes after differences emerged between Lahore CCPO Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, who is leading the investigation and the other four members of the team.

As per the notification, all four members have been changed for developing differences with the Lahore CCPO. The notification was dated back to Jan 14, whereby the new members were appointed under the chairmanship of the CCPO.

The new members include Dera Ghazi Khan DPO Muhammad Akmal, SP Anjum Kamal and DSP CIA Jhang Nasir Nawaz. The decision regarding the appointment of the fourth member remains pending and has been entrusted to the newly reconstituted JIT.

It should be noted here that after the JIT members wrote a dissenting letter in the case, the head of the team recommended action against them.

Dogar sent a letter to the chief secretary to take action against the members on charges of spoiling the case by giving confidential information to social media and electronic media.

He said the members never told him about the objections verbally or in writing, but they suddenly thought that objections should be levelled in a joint report. He added that as the JIT head, he should have been informed of the objections first.

The CCPO said that two members, SP Malik Tariq and SSP Naseebullah, participated in the first meeting.

The duty of the two officers was to investigate the videos, case registration, and destruction of evidence, he mentioned, adding that on the appearance of the accused on Nov 17, the court also ordered the two officers to conduct an inquiry.

These two JIT officers did not inquire, he declared, adding that SP Ehsanullah Chauhan deliberately did not join them for 15 days.

The JIT chief wrote that he asked Chauhan to investigate the accused, but not once did he do so. He added that SP Ehsanullah also tried to change the evidence.

An attempt was made to change the evidence of the former investigating officer, Inspector Suhadra Imtiaz, he said, adding that SP Ehsanullah continued to resist the investigation and was adamant that the shooter was one.

Earlier, a joint letter was written to the home department and inspector general of police (IGP) by the four former members of the JIT, in which it was said that they disagreed with the information submitted to the home department and some media reports.

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No evidence of another assailant was found at the crime scene, they said, adding that no evidence was found of the accused Naveed's contact with anyone and the involvement of the other accused.

It should also be determined from where PTI activist Muazzam Nawaz was shot, they declared, pointing out that the investigation of the case registered in Green Town is yet to be completed, so there is no reason to call it the motive of this incident.

On December 17, a member of the JIT questioned the investigation and was not invited to the meeting on Dec 29, they stated.

The members also said that the Lahore CCPO, who is the head of the team, was informed several times by the members about their views regarding the investigation, but they were not given priority.

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing and it is too early to draw any conclusions and discuss it in the media, they added.

On Thursday, Naveed – the alleged shooter who attacked the former premier – had filed an application before the interior ministry claiming that the JIT was showing political malice.