ISLAMABAD, March 3: The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed bail of three senior police officers and two doctors in the Sialkot Jail killing case.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gujranwala, Malik Mohammad Iqbal, ex-district police officer of Sialkot, Amjad Javed Saleemi, DPO of Gujrat, Raja Munawar Hussain, ex-medical superintendent of Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital, Sialkot, Dr Mohammad Firdous Shah, and a surgeon of the same hospital, Dr Sajid Hussain, were granted bail by a three-member bench comprising Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday and Justice M Javed Buttar.

The bench observed that the police operation to rescue the civil judges who had been taken hostage in Sialkot Jail while they were on an inspection visit was not based on mala fide but it was done in good faith.

"Our police are not trained for such situations. Also, such incidents happen very rarely in Pakistan," Justice Iftikhar observed on the fourth consecutive day of hearing in the case on Thursday.

Petitioner Ghulam Abbas Bokhari, father of the late civil judge, Sheharyar Bokhari, who was pleading the case himself, opposed confirmation of bail of the accused, arguing that the conduct of the DIG, who had ordered the operation to rescue the hostages, was not satisfactory.

"Do you want to see all the police officers who conducted the rescue operation sent to the gallows?" asked Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday. "I have lost my son in the name of state service, but those who committed criminal negligence are roaming freely," Mr Bokhari said.

Advocate-General of Punjab, Aftab Iqbal, while supporting bail for these officers, said the trial against them should continue. Mushtaq Ahmed Chaudhry, counsel for the government of Punjab, also said the rescue operation had become necessary.

At this, Justice Ramday said that it had been a war-like situation and the DIG being the commander-in-chief of the police preferred to initiate an operation because no other officer or institution was willing to take responsibility for the bold action.

Police actions were always looked at with suspicion by the general public because the department had lost its credibility, Justice Iftikhar said, suggesting to the government to impart professional training to the police.