GUJRAT: The members of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the Wazirabad gun attack on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, on Monday inspected the crime scene for the third time since its formation by the Punjab government.
The members of JIT SP (Counter Terrorism Department) Naseebullah and SP Rawal town Rawalpindi Malik Tariq jointly visited the Wazirabad city where they inspected the crime scene.
However, the head of JIT Ghulam Mehmood Dogar [the capital city police officer Lahore] was not accompanying the team as he had already inspected the scene during the last visit a few days ago.
The JIT also recorded the statements of Wazirabad city circle DSP Malik Aamir, station house officers of city and Saddar police stations as well as the commandos of elite force who had arrested shooter Naveed Araen of Sohdara.
Authorities ‘indecisive’ about further preservation of crime scene
Moreover it is learnt that the officials of Gujrat Saddar police station were also grilled by the JIT members as the entire staff of that particular police station had been put under suspension by Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhary Parvez Elahi following the leak of a video recording carrying the confessional statement of the detained suspect within hours of the incident.
The PTI long march on its way to Islamabad from Lahore, had come under attack on Nov 3 the last as a result of which at least 11 people including party chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan were injured and a party worker Moazzam Gondal of Bharoki village of Wazirabad was shot dead.
The attacker was arrested from the scene soon after the incident as he had first fallen after a local party supporter Ibtsam Hassan had tried to snatch the gun and then the suspect fled and hid in a nearby compound from where he was detained.
On the other hand, the authorities have so far been unable to decide on whether the crime scene is still to be preserved or to be cleared of all the hurdles put there to preserve the scene. The area has been cordoned off for the last almost 18 days causing a great deal of inconvenience to the local traders and the residents of the area along old GT road of Wazirabad city.
An official said Wazirabad police high-ups had sought the directions regarding the further preservation of the crime scene from the visiting members of JIT; however they declined to issue any direction by saying that the guidance should be sought from the head of JIT.
It is learnt that Gujrat District Police Officer Ghazanfar Shah (who also holds the additional charge of Wazirabad DPO) may talk to the JIT head in this regard only after which the issue can be resolved.
However, sources said the limits of cordoned-off area might be squeezed by the local authorities until the further direction to remove the container of PTI chairman from the scene.
Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2022
