OKARA, Aug 7: Narowal District Police Officer Tayyab Saeed, who was shot dead by a gang of proclaimed offenders in an encounter, was laid to rest at Ghoray Shah graveyard on Saturday amid hundreds of mourners. The shootout took place at Qila Ahmadabad, about 20 kilometres off Narowal, on Friday night.

High-ranking officials of the government and the police department attended the funeral prayer among others.

Prominent among the participants were Federal Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, petroleum parliamentary secretary Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan (an MNA), Punjab acting IGP Dr Azhar Hassan Nadeem, District Nazim Syed Sajjad Haider, DCO Syed Iftikhar Husain Babar and a number of senior police officials.

The Punjab police saluted the official, who lost his life in the line of duty. Wrapped in police flag, he was laid to rest at Ghorey Shah graveyard.

Most of the lawyers, especially those in the district courts, stayed away from work to mourn the death of the policeman, who was a son of District Bar Association's former president Kanwar Saeed Khan.

Qul will be held on Sunday (today) at 8.30am at his residence in Main Street's A block.

Tayyab Saeed was born in Okara on Aug 14, 1964. He joined the Pakistan Navy Academy in 1981 and after completing his studies was recruited ASP in the police service in 1990.