D-Chowk mayhem: Details of K-P ministers, gunmen sought to pin blame

Information necessary to investigate death of two protesters due to bullet wounds in August, says federal government.

PESHAWAR:

The interior ministry has sought details of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) ministers and their gunmen present at D-Chowk in Islamabad on August 30 as two of the demonstrators killed in the mayhem of that day died of bullet wounds.

Following the fatalities, an FIR was registered by PAT workers, demanding an investigation into the killing of protesters allegedly at the hands of policemen guarding sensitive installations inside the Red Zone. Subsequently, the Islamabad Capital Territory’s (ICT) police started collecting information.



Meanwhile, the federal government, while investigating cases of two people who died of bullet wounds, asked the K-P government to provide ICT with details of the guards of K-P ministers present at the scene. It also sought details of the weapons carried by these gunmen.

“It is requested that information of K-P ministers and their guards present at the venue be provided to the ICT police. Details of the ministers, their gunmen, types of weapons, cellular numbers and computerised national identity cards etc should also be provided,” read a letter addressed to the provincial government.

Prior to this letter, another had been written by ICT chief commissioner and was addressed to IGP Islamabad.

“Superintendent Islamabad police has reported that two of the deceased suffered firearm injuries. In order to establish the presence of firearms, it is requested that information on K-P ministers present with their gunmen be provided,” it stated.

FIR No. 182 was filed on August 31 under sections 324, 436, 152, 459, 452, 427, 353, 186, 148, 149, 153, 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorist Act (ATA).



The documents could not be obtained due to the nature of this case. However, when asked, an official of the federal government confirmed that the letter had been sent and the relevant authorities were asked to submit details.

“As soon as the required information is collected, it will be sent to the federal government,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

On August 30, thousands of PAT and PTI workers marched towards the Prime Minister House after a 24-hour deadline issued by PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri for the resignations of Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expired.

Three protesters were killed and over 700 were injured as the federal capital’s high-security Red Zone turned into a battleground on the 17th day of the twin protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).

In a recent development last month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the FIR registered against the prime minister, cabinet members, top police officials and the Islamabad chief commissioner in connection with the violence.

Former Islamabad inspector general Khalid Khattak, the Punjab and Railways IGs, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Mujhaid Sherdil and a former Islamabad Operations SSP challenged the registration of the FIR, contending that a trial court lacked the authority to intervene in executive decisions.

On September 27, the Secretariat police registered an FIR against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, key cabinet members, and top police officials on the order of an additional district and sessions judge. The application for the FIR had been submitted by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2014.