Police lacked training, equipment to deal with Islamabad stand-off: says IG

IG claims he intended to go to the scene but learned that SSP Operations would be there and decided not to go.

ISLAMABAD: Inspector General (IG) Police Islamabad Sikandar Hayat Khan, commenting on the Islamabad stand-off, has stated that the Islamabad police lack the appropriate training and equipment required to deal with the situation, Express News reported on Wednesday.


In his reply to the interior ministry over the Islamabad standoff, Khan said he did not reach the crime scene as SSP Operations Dr Rizwan told him he will be there.

He said that in a phone conversation, Dr Rizwan said that he was close to the scene and was on his way there.

It was Dr Rizwan’s day off, but upon hearing about the incident, he decided to go to the scene.

The IG claimed that he intended to go to the crime scene but once he learned that Dr Rizwan would be there, he decided to go to his office instead.

He added that he was in constant communication with juniors in the staff and was issuing advice to them as the situation progressed.

Khan also blamed the media for being partly responsible for dragging out the incident.

The stand off that had been created on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad after firing on the police from Malik Sikandar Hayat, ended after almost six hours when Pakistan Peoples Party leader Zamrud Khan approached and tried to grab him.

The man armed with two sub-machine guns and accompanied with his wife and two children had driven into the middle of Constitution Avenue on Thursday evening where he fired on the police and started a stand off.

Police tried to negotiate with him and police and Rangers commandos surrounded his car while keeping their distance.