April 26, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1429

SIALKOT, April 25: The Pasrur Sadar police registered a case against its station house officer (SHO) and four policemen for allegedly killing a former union council (UC) nazim in a ‘staged’ shootout after a large number of locals protested the incident in front of the DSP’s office on Friday afternoon.

SHO Roy Muneer Ahmad and policemen Tahir Mehmood, Ghulam Ali, Nadeem Kashif and Mehfooz Ahmad were booked on a complaint lodged by former Sokanwind UC nazim Abdul Rehman’s father Rana Abdul Razzaq.

Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Ameen told reporters in Pasrur that the accused policemen would be taken to task. However, none of the accused has been arrested so far.

Around 500 people demonstrated in front of the DSP’s office on Pasrur-Klasswala Road on Friday afternoon to protest Rehman’s killing by the Sadar police in what they called “staged” shootout near Chhichharwali on Satrah Road on Friday morning.

The protesters blocked the road by torching tyres and threw traffic out of gear for couple of hours.

They resorted to slogan mongering against the police officials concerned and also pelted stones, damaging some police vehicles parked nearby.

The police also reacted with a baton-charge offensive, injuring some of the demonstrators. Heavy police contingents were also called in from nearby police stations to thwart any eventuality.

However, the DPO, tehsil nazim, district naib nazim and local MPA intervened and made the protesters lift the blockade. Also, the police registered a case against the SHO and four others to pacify the demonstrators who later dispersed.

The family of the killed former nazim alleged that the Sadar SHO had received heavy gratification from their rivals to kill him in a “fake shootout”.

Local PML-N MPA Chaudhry Munawar Ali Gill, District Naib Nazim Rana Ejaz Ahmad and Tehsil Nazim Ch. Maqsood Ahmad condemned the incident and demanded immediate legal action against the responsible.

According to police, former UC nazim Abdul Rehman was traveling with Talwandi Inayat Khan UC Nazim Rana Ehsan Ahmad in a car (HK-Islamabad-384) when the police tried to intercept them in a bid to arrest Rana Ehsan, who has already been declared a proclaimed offender in an old case of firing, but they fled.

Later, the fleeing suspects opened fire on the police and former Nazim Abdul Rehman was killed in the ensuing shootout. However, Rana Ehsan fled again. The police registered a case and started investigations.