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ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Air Chief Marshal Musaf Ali Mir on Wednesday presented a report to President Gen Pervez Musharraf about the tragic killing of six airmen at Sargodha airbase on Tuesday evening.
The air chief apprised the President that special investigation bureau of Pakistan Air Force had already been detailed to conduct thorough investigation into the incident.
According to a PAF source, one airman belonging to Kohat opened fire with his service weapon on fellow colleagues following a minor scuffle while playing an indoor game.
“While playing indoor games at PAF base Sargodha, a scuffle took place amongst the airmen. In this unfortunate incident one of them started indiscriminate shooting which resulted in the death of six airmen,” a PAF press release said.
The accused has been arrested and a court of inquiry has been convened by the PAF authorities to establish the facts of the incident, it added.
The PAF public relations wing when contacted said that they had no information about the number of injured.
According to reports the men were playing a board game when the fight broke out late Tuesday. Sources said four people died on Tuesday night and two this morning.
FGCM: The PAF authorities are considering the option of holding a Field General Court Martial of the airman who killed his six colleagues, senior officials told Dawn.
The matter would be decided in a few days, Air Commodore Qadeer Hashmi said.
About probable causes, he said: “The initial investigations into the incident ruled out the possibility of sectarian or ethnic causes.”
The officials said the Special Investigation Bureau is looking into the possibility if there was an enmity among the airmen or was the tragedy simply an act of a man who lost his cool and went berserk. The actual causes would be clear in a day or two, he said.
