Pakistan

Close call: Prisoner survives third attempt on life

Woman, daughter killed in VIP ward of PIMS as attackers storm the wrong room; inquiry ordered.

Express January 16, 2012

ISLAMABAD: An elderly woman and her daughter were killed in an attack in one of the rooms in the VIP ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences late on Saturday night.

According to the police, the attackers’ target was Rana Sarwat, an under-trial prisoner, who was under treatment after he suffered bullet wounds in district courts last month. However, they mistook their target and stormed the wrong room.

Police and eyewitnesses said that two men hiding guns in their clothes approached Room 8 of the VIP ward and opened indiscriminate fire, killing 92-year-old Saleha Bibi and her 40-year-old daughter Balqees Bibi, besides injuring Khairun Nisa.

Sarwat, who survived two life attempts earlier last year, remained safe in the next room.

The assailants managed to escape unhurt, while the four officials guarding Sarwat failed to apprehend the attackers.

The bodies of the deceased were handed over to the family for burial. The family said they had no enmity with anyone. The Margalla police have registered a case against unknown assailants and started investigations.

Sarwat was attacked by a gunman in the district courts premises last month, where he was hit by a bullet in his shoulder. Earlier he also survived an attack last year in the same premises, during which a police constable was also injured.

Sarwat is under trial in a murder case in which he was accused of kidnapping and killing a boy named Rana Hafiz in Lahore in 2001. He was sentenced to eight years of jail, which he had already served.

Investigations in earlier attacks on him indicated that Hafiz’s relatives were involved in the attacks; however, police could not gather sufficient evidence to incriminate anyone.

All attacks were made at sensitive locations and in the presence of the police, but the assailants could not be arrested in any of the attacks. The police sent Sarwat back to jail on Sunday.

Teams formed to probe incident

The Margalla Police on Sunday constituted special teams to arrest the killers of the two women after Interior Minister Rehman Malik chaired a meeting to review the security and law and order situation.

In the meeting, the Inspector General of Police Islamabad presented a preliminary report on the incident. Malik suspended the four police officials on duty and ordered Chief Commissioner Islamabad to conduct a magisterial inquiry on the basis of preliminary report.

The minister also directed the police to beef up security at pickets on all exit and entry points of the city.

*With input from APP

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2012.

COMMENTS (2)

sars | 12 years ago | Reply whatever is wrong with this hospital according to the doctor above is exactly whats wrong with the country in general.

Dr Saifurrehman | 12 years ago | Reply This is with reference to killing incident at PIMS, where two innocent lives were lost. I have no words to condemn this sad incident. It is great dilemma that this is not first incident of its kind, eight months back, a trained group of 52 deadly terrorists of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP ) had planned to blow up the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) building to assassinate President Asif Ali Zardari during his visit to see his ailing father Hakim Ali Zardari. That was to avenge the war on terror policy of Pakistan, but the security agencies foiled the plot when four terrorists were arrested on May 13 from the hospital premises ahead of the execution of their plot. And, it was very sad for president that being head of state he could not visit his ailing father. PIMS is place, where Head of state, President of Pakistan is not safe then how an odinary citizen can expect better. The thing is Administration of PIMS is so incompetent that PIMS premises have become safe heavens for terrorists and criminals. Specially doctors' hostels(Medical officers and postgraduate) are the hub of terrorists, where rooms are alloted to unconcerned persons and doctors are deprived of hostels. Unauthorized people have got possessions of hostels, so it is not surprising that killing incidents are taking place at PIMS. President, prime minister and honorable chief justice of Pakistan should take notice of this killing incident and investigations must be started so that incompetent administration of PIMS wake up of its sleep. There must a search warrant in this regard.

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