RAWALPINDI: A 65-year-old man was shot and killed in the district courts premises on Saturday in the limits of the Civil Lines police station.

The victim, identified as Mohammad Tanvir, was a resident of Basali. A murder case has been registered against the suspected killers with the Civil Lines police.

Police said Tanvir was set to appear in court in the hearing of an illegal weapons possession case when two suspects fired at him near the mosque in the old district courts building on Jhelum Road.

The shooters then fled, despite the heavy police presence.

Police said Tanvir’s brother Mohammad Pervaiz said in his police statement that Tanvir had been involved in a murder case in the Rawat police area but was acquitted. He suspected that the applicants of the murder case were involved in Tanvir’s killing.

The police have registered a case against the suspects.

Lawyers and litigants told police that the two shooters opened fire after Tanvir entered the district court premises from the Jhelum Road side.

They said the attack was sudden and brazen, and killed the man on the spot. They added that despite being armed, the police deputed in the area did nothing as the shooters escaped.

This is the second time in recent months that armed assailants have managed to enter the district courts; two people were shot during a court hearing earlier in the premises of the new judicial complex.

Civil Lines Station House Officer Sanaullah Khan told Dawn the police had registered a case against two unknown individuals while the victim’s brother had pointed out an individual. He said the police would solve the case soon.

He said the incident took place in the district courts parking space allocated for lawyers, and added that security at the courts had been increased following the shooting.

However, lawyers expressed concern over the feeble security arrangements made by the police and demanded the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief justice of the Lahore High Court take action against high-level police officials.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2018