RAWALPINDI: A doctor of a private hospital, who treated one of the ‘suspected extremists’ involved in the shootout with the police on Tuesday, has been taken into custody after the case was transferred to the Counter-Terrorism Department CTD for further investigation.

According to sources, no ‘identification detail’ of the two suspects arrested by the police was found in the official record. The police had recovered a weapon’s licence, some photographs and other documents from the vehicle in which the suspects were travelling in.

Later, a doctor at a private hospital on Peshawar Road who had treated the leg of one of the suspects was detained for interrogation.

The sources said the suspect had sustained a bullet injury to his leg during a quarrel in Tank. The doctor was detained because the suspect was being treated for a bullet injury at a private hospital when he should have been referred to a government hospital and the police informed, they added.

Investigators raised questions as to why the doctor treated a patient who belonged to a highly-sensitive division of Dera Ismail Khan and did not inform the police.

According to sources, the suspects were returning to Tank after the treatment when they encountered Dolphin Force officials. A gunfight ensued which resulted in the death of an official and injuries to a constable and pedestrian.

The sources said the investigators confirmed that all four individuals traveling in the car, including the driver, were ‘extremists’ and of ‘high value’. After the shootout with Dolphin Force officials, they got out of the carand ran away. However, two of the escapees were arrested while a large-scale manhunt was launched across the province to trace the other two.

The CCTV footage obtained by the police shows the suspects running away, with one “seemed to be differently-abled” due to his leg.

After preliminary investigations, the law enforcement agencies decided to hand over the case to the Counter-Terrorism Department due to its sensitivity.

Waris Khan police had already registered an FIR under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other relevant sections.

On the other hand, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations retired Flt Lt Hafiz Kamran Asghar visited Benazir Bhutto Hospital on Wednesday, and inquired after the health of Constable Mohammad Asim who was injured in the firing on Murree Road.

SSP Operations instructed the officers concerned to ensure best medical facilities to Constable Asim and wished him a speedy recovery. He said those who attacked the citizens and police could not escape from the grip of law.

The SSP also visited the family of the martyred official, Ismail Rauf, in his native town and laid a wreath on his grave and prayed for him.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024