LAHORE – Despite a 36 hour lapse, Cantt Police’s Investigation Wing has been unable to trace a criminal record to two men gunned down by Baghbanpura Police Station 50-year-old constable during an alleged encounter near the Pakistan Mint Stop on the GT Road on Thursday.
On Friday the families of the youth claimed the Baghbanpura Police had killed them over nothing. On Thursday, Constable Arshad shot dead the two boys when returning to the Baghbanpura Police Station after finishing duty at a local examination centre. Police claimed the men had looted valuables from Harbanspura resident Rasheed’s house.
They claimed Arshad ‘retaliated’ when the youth opened fire on him. One of the boys died instantly, the other succumbed to injuries at Services Hospital. On Thursday night the boys were identified as Nizam Ali and Talha, residents of the Shalimar Gardens, aged between 22 to 24 years. Talha was a LLB-II student while Nizam was unemployed. Talha’s family denied he was a criminal.
Talha’s brother claimed the house Talha and Nizam were accused of robbing belonged to Nizam’s relative. “Police claim Talha and Nizam were being chased by the victims of their robbery when, surprise, a plain-clothed policeman ambushed them,” he said. He said Talha had informed his mother before he left at 2pm after receiving a call. He said on two occasions earlier Talha had refused to go with Nizam.
Nizam’s brother Najam said shopkeepers at the scene informed him that Nizam had received a bullet injury and asked a passerby to inform his uncle about the incident. Najam said that police had stopped Rescue 1122 to take Nizam to the hospital. “Why did police wait for Nizam to die?,” he asked. Baghbanpura Police Station Investigation Incharge Ishaq told Pakistan Today that police had been unable to a criminal record to either of the men.
However Baghbanpura Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asim Iftikhar claimed Nizam was a robber and police had received complaints earlier. He promised to unearth their criminal records in a day or two.
