Inquiry demanded: K-P blames Punjab for ‘mishandling’ Lahore killings

Lack of coordination blamed for delaying FIRs, post-mortems.

PESHAWAR:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has demanded an inquiry into the “mishandling” of the Lahore attack, in which nine police constables were killed by unidentified gunmen on Thursday morning.

A statement issued by the Home and Tribal Affairs Department blamed the “lack of coordination” between the Lahore police and prison authorities of Punjab for delaying the FIR and subsequent post-mortem of the slain policemen.

“It may be kindly realised that the families of the martyrs are in distress and every moment of this unexplained delay is adding to their agony,” said the statement.

“The response from the Punjab government has been extremely unprofessional to say the least,” Home and Tribal Affairs Secretary Azam Khan told The Express Tribune.


K-P Prisons Inspector-General Khalid Abbas said that the police are under consistent threat from militants and that those killed in Lahore were innocent.  “They were recruits who were still being trained,” he said.

Around 50 recruits were sent from the province but they were staying at a private house, said Abbas, adding “that is why they proved to be a softer target for terrorists.”

The federal secretary interior should be enquired about the attack as the academy falls within the jurisdiction of the federal interior ministry, he said.

K-P Minister for Prisons Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel told The Express Tribune that although he tried to contact the Punjab government in time, no effort was shown on their behalf.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2012.
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