Deadly firing at PIMS
Land dispute claims life, injures three at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
ISLAMABAD:
Two armed men managed to ‘dodge’ at least two ‘vigilant’ security check-posts on their way to the city’s biggest hospital where they shot dead a man and injured three others.
Terror and panic spread through Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Friday afternoon as the two armed men spread bullets on their rivals in the emergency ward. Their main target,
Azizur Rehman had already been injured in an earlier gunfight and was being shifted to the hospital for treatment. Three of Rehman’s relatives were accompanying him and got injured in the firing.
The two assailants came to the hospital finished the job and managed to flee from the scene unharmed.
Witnesses said that the police guards accompanying the ambulance had returned fire but the assailants were already escaping.
“When police returned fire the men were already approaching the main exit gate on their motorbike,” said eyewitness Muhammad Hammad.
The Margalla police said they chased the assailants but lost them in traffic. However, sources in police said they were being chased by a traffic police vehicle which failed to catch the motorbike in ‘messy traffic’. The police arrived late at the scene and the Koral police could not chase the assailants.
“They could have easily been caught had the police realised sooner that the escaping motorists were assailants,” said Hammad.
Before the incident at Pims, the two parties had first exchanged fire over a land dispute in their native town of Tarlai in Koral area.
Naeem erected a wall on the disputed land, in reaction to which Rehman and his colleagues fired at him.
When Naeem’s accomplices returned fire, Rehman and two of his relatives were injured.
In light of the dispute, security at Pims was tightened and police guards deputed at the entrances before the injured were brought to the emergency.
When Naeem arrived at Pims with Muhammad Talib and Aijaz Ahmed, the two armed men opened fire at them. Aamir Hussain, Tariq and Abrar suffered serious injuries.
All of them were shifted to the emergency ward of the hospital.
The Margalla police arrested a man armed in possession of a 12 bore shotgun from the premises of the hospital, who was later released after he produced a licence for the weapon.
No case was registered in the Margalla police station for the firing at Pims till the filing of this report. However, the
SHO Margalla Hussain Lassi said the injured men had nominated and indentified the assailants as Muhammad Yasir and Javed Iqbal.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2010.
Two armed men managed to ‘dodge’ at least two ‘vigilant’ security check-posts on their way to the city’s biggest hospital where they shot dead a man and injured three others.
Terror and panic spread through Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Friday afternoon as the two armed men spread bullets on their rivals in the emergency ward. Their main target,
Azizur Rehman had already been injured in an earlier gunfight and was being shifted to the hospital for treatment. Three of Rehman’s relatives were accompanying him and got injured in the firing.
The two assailants came to the hospital finished the job and managed to flee from the scene unharmed.
Witnesses said that the police guards accompanying the ambulance had returned fire but the assailants were already escaping.
“When police returned fire the men were already approaching the main exit gate on their motorbike,” said eyewitness Muhammad Hammad.
The Margalla police said they chased the assailants but lost them in traffic. However, sources in police said they were being chased by a traffic police vehicle which failed to catch the motorbike in ‘messy traffic’. The police arrived late at the scene and the Koral police could not chase the assailants.
“They could have easily been caught had the police realised sooner that the escaping motorists were assailants,” said Hammad.
Before the incident at Pims, the two parties had first exchanged fire over a land dispute in their native town of Tarlai in Koral area.
Naeem erected a wall on the disputed land, in reaction to which Rehman and his colleagues fired at him.
When Naeem’s accomplices returned fire, Rehman and two of his relatives were injured.
In light of the dispute, security at Pims was tightened and police guards deputed at the entrances before the injured were brought to the emergency.
When Naeem arrived at Pims with Muhammad Talib and Aijaz Ahmed, the two armed men opened fire at them. Aamir Hussain, Tariq and Abrar suffered serious injuries.
All of them were shifted to the emergency ward of the hospital.
The Margalla police arrested a man armed in possession of a 12 bore shotgun from the premises of the hospital, who was later released after he produced a licence for the weapon.
No case was registered in the Margalla police station for the firing at Pims till the filing of this report. However, the
SHO Margalla Hussain Lassi said the injured men had nominated and indentified the assailants as Muhammad Yasir and Javed Iqbal.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2010.