–14-year-old Ibrahim admitted to PAF hospital with spinal injury
ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Ibrahim, son of Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Athar Shams, was critically injured on Friday morning after a Pakistan Navy (PN) guard opened fire on his car when the driver failed to stop the vehicle for ID verification and inspection at the Zafar Gate of Naval Complex entry in Sector E-8.
Ibrahim, a class VIII student in Bahria Town School and College, was accompanied by his younger brother, a student of grade III in the same institution.
Per details, the driver had rushed the car through the entry gate when the incident happened. The bullet fired by the PN guard hit Ibrahim in the spine. He was immediately rushed to the E9 Pakistan Air Force (PAF) hospital where the bullet was successfully removed from his body, however, the injured boy was reported to be in a critical condition. The boy is reported to be paralysed waist down after undergoing medical treatment.
The car, carrying the registration number UE 482, entered the Naval Complex from Bahria gate. It is pertinent to mention here that Bahria gate could only be used by PN officers.
The sentry, identified as Hameed, fired two rounds on the vehicle but the driver managed to ‘escape’ from the scene. Later, the vehicle was found parked outside the PAF hospital.
PAF officials also arrived on the scene of the incident to initiate an investigation into the incident with the help of footage retrieved from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed around the gate. It was revealed that 14-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim and his younger brother were both sons of incumbent Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Athar Shams.
After this incident, the provost marshal recommended the installation of automatic metal car barriers at entry points that stops vehicles from moving forward and are only lowered when proper identification papers have been displayed to the sentries. This step is believed to have been taken to discourage security personnel from resorting to extreme measures to stop suspicious vehicles.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Lieutenant Faiza of Pakistan Navy confirmed the incident and said that more details regarding the incident could be obtained from the PAF. However, the air force officials remained unavailable for a comment.
The Naval Complex authorities later issued a warning, saying that though no life was lost in the incident, it was important for all visitors hailing from different backgrounds to always stop at the security checkpoints, provide proper identification and move ahead after receiving clearance from the guards.
