— JIT to submit report in three days
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Monday ordered to add more members to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established to investigate into the Sahiwal tragedy.
Additional Inspector General (IG) Establishment Ijaz Shah has been appointed as the JIT convener, whereas Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau members have also been included in the team.
In addition to that, the new members include Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Investigations Khalid Abubakr and Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) President Falak Sher.
The JIT team are instructed to investigate and a compile a report on the matter within three days, which should include statements from eyewitnesses and details of instances from the crime scene.
Investigators are also allowed to check for records from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) during the probe.
On Saturday, Punjab CTD officials killed four people, including a couple and their teenage daughter, and injured a teenage boy in a suspicious “encounter”, triggering a national outcry that prompted the government to take the security officials into custody and order an investigation into the incident.
The counter-terrorism officials had claimed that the operation was conducted to capture an “Islamic State (IS) commander” on a tip-off by an intelligence agency.
The encounter sparked protests on the outskirts of Lahore, leading to traffic jams on Ferozpur Road. Consequently, Chief Minister Buzdar ordered the formation of a JIT headed by a senior police official and comprising representatives of intelligence agencies to probe the matter and submit its report within three days.
