KARACHI, July 27: DIG Investigation Manzoor Mughal escaped an attempt on his life on Wednesday. Bashir Khan, a retired PAF official, allegedly came to see the DIG at his office, and fired a bullet while the DIG was reading an application submitted by the attacker.
The bullet missed the target and the DIG escaped unhurt. Mr Mughal abruptly tried to overpower Mr Bashir and in the meantime another bullet hit the floor.
Hearing gunshots, the staff of the DIG entered the room and arrested the man, and recovered the pistol from him.
Bashir, a retired chief warrant officer, had earlier waited for half an hour prior to the arrival of the DIG.
When the DIG came to his office, Mr Bashir was called in. Bashir entered the room, congratulated Mr Mughal on his promotion to the rank of DIG, and placed an application on his table.
DSP Kharadar Haseeb Beg said an FIR 180/2005 under Sections 452/353/506-B/324 and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act had been registered against Bashir Khan at Mithadar police station. He was later handed to the Anti-Violence Crime Cell (AVCC).
Police said the man had lodged an FIR 52/2003 at the Boating Basin police station and had approached the DIG many times.
Bashir had invested Rs700,000 in a firm run by Yusuf Afridi in Shireen Jinnah Colony. The PAF official had received the amount on his retirement.
Although Afridi had promised to give a certain amount to Bashir as profit, but he even did not give the principal amount.
This forced Mr Bashir to lodge a complaint with the police in 1998. The then DSP of Clifton, Farooq Awan, had forwarded the case to his subordinates for an inquiry.
Sources said that ASI Akbar picked up Haleem Gul, an associate of Afridi and later released him after taking Rs50,000 as illegal gratification. Bashir again submitted an application with the police in 2002 and after 13 months, an FIR 52/2003 was registered under Section 420/406/109/337/34 at the Boating Basin police station.
As Bashir ran from pillar to post, he met the then DIG Operations, Tariq Jamil, DIG Altaf Majeed, and the IG Syed Kamal Shah but not to avail. He also met DIG Manzoor Mughal many times in connection with the investigation of his case, and later got frustrated.
Sources said Bashir had earlier planned to commit suicide in front of Karachi Press Club but he later dropped the idea. He told the police that he had decided that now he would attack police officials and then he came to the DIG’s office.
SP of the AVCC, Farooq Awan, said he might have been used by some vested interest for attacks on police officers.
