Buzdar rules out judicial commission in Sahiwal encounter case

–CTD officials claim they fired in self-defence, pin casualties on ‘accomplices’

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has ruled out the formation of a judicial commission — a persistent demand of opposition and the families of the deceased– at present to probe the Sahiwal encounter, saying that the government was satisfied with the “transparent” proceedings of the joint investigation team (JIT).

Buzdar reportedly made this statement after a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan over Sahiwal encounter.

The CM said the government might think about a judicial commission if it felt the JIT was not up to the task, adding that five detained Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials were already under investigation.

The statement in the background of concerns expressed by the opposition parties and the victims’ families over the handling of the issue by the government.

The opposition, Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and families of the victims have already expressed distrust in the joint investigation team (JIT) led by police officers, constituted on the orders of Punjab police chief.

“We are not satisfied with the JIT’s investigation,” the mother of Zeeshan, one of the victims, told the committee. “The police officials that are investigating [the incident] are the ones who committed the killings,” she added while requesting the prime minister to provide justice.

Earlier in the day, the CTD officials reiterated they were not responsible for the killing of four people, including a teenager, in Sahiwal as they resorted to firing in self-defence.

According to sources, a joint investigation team (JIT) probing the case investigated the four CTD officials — Safdar, Ramzan, Saifullah and Hasnain– who are in custody for their alleged involvement in a suspicious encounter on Jan 19.

During the investigation, the CTD officials refused that they had opened fire first, claiming that the four people sitting in the car died as a result of firing by their accomplices on a motorcycle that was accompanying them when anti-terror squad intercepted the vehicle.

When asked whether they resorted to firing on someone’s orders, the officials said they only opened fire in as a “retaliatory measure”.

The CTD spokesperson made a similar statement in the immediate aftermath of cold-blooded killings near Sahiwal that had sent shockwaves across the nation. Though the CTD force tried to shift the blame, survivors and eye witnesses claimed that the CTD killed the family in cold blood.

What added more to the confusion was the changing statements of the CTD officials. The officials had initially claimed those killed in the shooting were [alleged] terrorists belonging to the proscribed Daesh (ISIS) militant organisation.

The CTD spokesperson had identified one of them, Zeeshan, as an active member of the banned outfit, explaining that the terrorists used to travel with families to avoid police checking.

The team was conducting a joint intelligence-based operation on the basis of information from the CTD and a sensitive agency, the spokesperson had said, claiming that they had to retaliate when they came under fire from those in the car.

The next day, the CTD had changed its story, saying the force was actually following Zeeshan — the man behind the wheel of the car that was showered with bullets — because he was a facilitator of terrorists, and regretted the killing of Khalil and his wife and daughter. The CTD had also claimed to recovery of suicide vests from the car.

The Senate committee had also mentioned that the child had given a statement that his father offered money to officials of the CTD but they killed him nevertheless, raising the question that if that conversation was possible, why had the CTD officials not made arrests. However, the Punjab additional home secretary had denied the claim and asked the body to wait for the JIT.

On Wednesday, the Punjab government acknowledged that the “method of encounter” followed by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Sahiwal was wrong as the officials should have checked the vehicle before opening fire.