ISLAMABAD: Violence at the lower courts on Saturday resulted in the arrests of 15 people from two rival groups and the recovery of six submachine guns and five pistols, as well as ammunition.

Police said no one was killed or seriously injured in the clash.

Two vehicles have also been impounded, they said, adding that some armed individuals from either side had managed to flee.

A senior police officer told Dawn violence broke out after suspects visited the district and sessions court for the confirmation of their bail in connection with a 2013 murder case that had been registered with the Margalla police.

The officer said the violence broke out in the court’s car park, when the suspects were leaving. An argument between the two groups – one of which included the suspects – led to violence, after which both sides began firing at each other.

Two rival parties allegedly involved in a land dispute and two murder cases began firing at each other in the car park

Police cordoned off the area shortly after being informed, but some of the individuals broke the cordon and escaped. Police arrested 15 people and moved them a police station, where they were put behind bars.

Margalla Station House Officer Inspector Abdul Jabar said the suspects who came to court for the confirmation of bail came in a group of 20, while the opposing party consisted of six to eight people. Most of them were armed, he said.

He added that those arrested have been booked under various charges including under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the possession of illegal arms.

A senior police officer said the parties are involved in a dispute over 200 kanals of land in Chirah village.

On one side is Zahir, a Chirah resident who claims he owned the land in question and that it was occupied by a family of Bangial natives a couple of years ago. He allegedly kidnapped one of his rivals, Aurangzaib, in 2013, murdered him and left the body in vehicle parked outside Pims.

The man and his family then fled to Dubai, the officer said.

In 2018, Aurangzaib’s brother allegedly hired people to murder his brother’s killer’s relative.

He then also left for Dubai, and the murder he ordered allegedly took place in his absence. The officer said a case was registered over that murder with the Kural police in December 2018.

Both men returned from Dubai the same month, and the police arrested Zahir in the 2013 murder case.

The officer said Zahir fabricated details during the interrogation and also claimed his relatives had helped him kidnap and kill Aurangzaib.

The investigation found that the relatives in question were innocent and had been falsely presented as accomplices because the suspect and his relatives were also involved in a separate dispute.

On Saturday, Zahir’s relatives visited the court for the confirmation of their bail, he said.

He said the other group, from Bangial, were known as land grabbers and had seven cases registered against them at police stations in the capital, including with the Sihala, Kural and Margalla police.

The officer said the police’s Crime Investigation Agency is investigating the 2013 and 2018 murders.

A police spokesperson said the Margalla police on Saturday arrested 15 people for their involvement in a shooting on the district court premises and recovered weapons from them. They also impounded eight vehicles.

Police recovered a 12-bore gun with 76 rounds, three submachine guns with four magazines, 116 bullets, one 222-bore rifle, one 223-bore gun and four magazines, 122 bullets, four 30-bore pistols and magazines and two 9mm pistols from the seized vehicles, he said.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2019