Jinnah Avenue standoff: Gunman, wife booked for act of terrorism

Doctors says Sikandar’s condition is ‘critical, but stable’.

ISLAMABAD:

Police have registered a case against the gunman and his wife who engaged law enforcement agencies in a stand-off that lasted for several hours on the federal capital’s Jinnah Avenue on Thursday.

The gunman, identified as Sikandar, has been charged with act of terrorism under Section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act and attempted murder under the Pakistan Penal Code among other charges.

Sikandar was captured alive but in an injured state after police snipers shot him down, following a botched attempt by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Zamurd Khan to tackle Sikandar on his own without police approval.

The gunman, who belongs to the Qazi Pura neighbourhood in Punjab’s district Hafizabad, is being kept at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) where hospital authorities said his condition was critical but stable.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Kohsar Police Station, Sikandar, accompanied by his wife Kanwal and two minor children – seven-year-old Umme Farwa and five-year-old Malik Abdul – drove the wrong way on Jinnah Avenue near China Chowk around 5:22pm.

When the traffic police beckoned him to stop, he fired shots at them using a rifle. Two cop cars blocked Sikandar’s rental black Toyota but Sikandar drove into one of the cars, ultimately damaging the car he was in and the police car, according to the police.

He then stepped out and started aerial firing, rifles held in both his hands. Police believe Sikandar and Kanwal had stopped the car in the middle of Jinnah Avenue, just two kilometers away from the red zone, after mutual consultation.

Police said Sikandar wanted to free his son from his first wife, Yousaf, held in a Dubai jail. He also wanted to get into an embassy and, later, wanted a safe passage for him and his family, according to police.

In a statement to police, Kanwal, who was also injured by a misfired bullet from Sikandar’s gun during the final showdown, said they had been in Islamabad for a couple of days and stayed at a hotel in Aabpara. She said her husband had been a serious drug addict up until 2009 but had later sought treatment for his addiction.

A receptionist at the New Islamabad Hotel, where the family is believed to have stayed, said the manager was away and had taken the guest record with him.

Senior Superintendent Police (Operation) Muhammad Rizwan, who negotiated with Sikandar and Kanwal, told a private TV channel that police could not conduct a capture operation because people, who had gathered at Blue Area to watch the spectacle, and media crews refused to clear the area.

Police essentially failed to disperse the crowds. It took the police over three hours to establish a rope cordon some 100 feet on either side of Sikandar’s car.

But the plans of the authorities to avoid bloodshed were upstaged by PPP leader Zamarud Khan, who broke the security parameter and approached Sikandar’s family. Sikandar escaped Khan’s tackle but as he raised his hands and ran a few steps, police snipers shot at him to prevent him from endangering the lives of others, according to Kohsar Police.

The Bomb Disposal Squad swept the car for explosives on Thursday night. Police recovered two rifles with 12 live rounds altogether from Sikandar. They also seized 69 live rounds from the car. It was unclear how Sikandar managed to bring the weapons and ammunition into Islamabad despite heavy security at checkpoints. Police are yet to record Sikandar’s statement. He and his wife have also been booked on counts of wrongful restraint, criminal force to deter public servant(s) and rash driving.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2013.