A police commandos stop a photo journalist near a local court building after a gun and suicide attack in Islamabad on March 3, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sent the guard who accidentally shot Additional Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ahmed Awan on a three-day physical remand, Express News reported on Friday.
The incident took place during the gun-and-suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts premises
ATC Judge Atiqur Rehman gave the order and the guard was taken into police custody.
On March 3, two suicide bombers and their armed accomplices had attacked the compound, leaving 12 people dead and injuring over two dozen others.
Three days later, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had revealed in the National Assembly that Judge Awan, who was believed to be killed by terrorists in the attack was actually hit by the bullets of his own guard.
Elaborating the findings, the minister had said that when the terrorists started indiscriminate shooting outside the premises of the district courts, Judge Awan and his staff members, including the armed guard, had left the courtroom and taken refuge in the judge’s chamber.
But when the suicide blast took place 50 metres away from the judge’s office, the guard had inadvertently pulled the trigger of his 9mm pistol and three bullets hit Judge Awan.
The guard himself had confessed to the incident.
COMMENTS (11)
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Who's more incompetent - the guard who doesn't know how to handle a weapon or the guy who hired him? The fact that the guard shot the judge is a distraction from the real issue - Islamabad wasn't safe and Nissar knew it when he assured the Parliament just days before this tragedy.
Government is compromised. Army are you listening.
once again Ch.Nisar trying to divert public attention on his failrue...treason case is started after Rawalpindi incidence..
One can only squeeze the trigger of a pistol if he is in his senses of has the presence of mind and is alert. How could he fire 3 shots when an explosion has taken place. Has the forensic experts confirmed that the bullets that killed the judge was fired by the guard's pistol? Too hard to digest. The bottom line, total security failure. The police take their job too lightly.
Let's hope this confession was not coerced.
Great. The only guy who fired in retaliation against the attackers is now in jail. Which side is government on?
Does any one believe this rubbish? Next they will say that the guard is a member of the terrorists that attacked the court.
So this is the kind of guards who are appointed by the government? Before this man was hired, was he trained to respond properly to bomb blasts? Or did some VVIP recommend that he (and hundreds like him) be given the job? The Interior Minister is responsible for this fiasco. He should clean up his own department before more guards indulge in irresponsible shooting.