RAWALPINDI: A handcuffed under-trial murder suspect was gunned down in the heavily-guarded judicial complex on Wednesday by relatives of the man he was suspected of killing. The man who opened fire at him was also killed.

The incident happened at about 1pm when 36-year-old Sattar Khan, a key witness in a murder case from 2015, came out of the room of the additional district and session judge (ADSJ) and opened fire as two murder suspects, 34-year-old Matiullah Faheem and Ahsan Ali Sherazi, who were under trial for the murder, walked towards the court room.

According to the police, when he got injured, Matiullah’s relatives who were accompanying him, overpowered Sattar after a brief chase and took his pistols from him. They then shot at him and killed him on the spot.

Matiullah Faheem was killed by a witness, Sattar Khan, who was later shot dead by Faheem’s relatives

Matiullah died on the way to the hospital.

An uncle of Matiullah Faheem, Mohammad Naeem lodged a case in which he said his nephews Matiullah, Rizwan Gul and their friend Ahsan Ali Sherazi were suspects in a murder case of March 13, 2015.

He said the suspects had been detained in the Adiala Jail since and they had been brought to the court of ADSJ Nadia Malik for their trial. Naeem said he was waiting for his nephews outside the Bakhshi Khana.

He said the suspects were brought to the court at around 1pm and were walking towards the trial room when a complainant in the 2015 case, Zubair Khan and Sattar Khan, the key witness in the same case, came out of the court room and stood outside. When he saw Matiullah, Zubair started shouting and saying he will avenge the murder of Yasir and others.

In his FIR, Naeem said Zubair, Sattar and a brother of Yasir, Ameer Ali, then pulled out their pistols and opened fire at Matiullah.

Ameer Ali, Matiullah and Ahsan Ali were injured during the firing. Sattar died on the spot. Zubair and Ameer Ali escaped from the scene after threatening the rival party of dire consequences.

Zaubair’s brother-in-law and Ameer’s brother Yasir and Kamran Khan were killed three years ago and Matiullah and the others were the prime suspects in the case.

Mr Naeem has said in his FIR that six people including Zubair and two unidentified men came to the court with weapons and created panic.

More than 100 people gathered outside the Benazir Bhutto Hospital and blocked Murree Road in protest of Matiullah’s murder and against the police not being able to arrest the culprits.

The protestors dispersed after senior police officials assured them the killers will be apprehended soon and that police teams have been formed for this. A forensics team later visited the crime scene and collected evidence.

According to the police, Sattar Khan, who was the key witness in the case, was brought to the court to record his statement in a white car driven by a man wearing a lawyer’s uniform. The car was not searched because lawyers are exempt.

City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Abbasi took notice of the security lapse and suspended two inspectors, Israeel Khan posted at the judicial complex and reserve inspector Ijaz Shah, for negligence. The police personnel deployed on security duty at the judicial complex were questioned and action will be taken against them if they were found to be negligent.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2018