An assailant impersonating as a lawyer shot injured his opponent, who was arrested by police in a murder case, within the premises of the heavily guarded Islamabad District Courts on Tuesday.
“The attacker, Muhammad Iqbal, who dressed up as a lawyer, opened fire at Rana Muhammad Sarwat when police brought the accused to produce him before the court in a murder case,” a police official said. He said police arrested the armed attacker, a resident of Misri Shah Lahore, and shifted the injured to Pakistan Instituted of Medical Sciences (PIMS) where his condition was stated to be stable.
Police recovered two pistols from Iqbal and registered an FIR against him. Meanwhile, the gunshots created panic in the District Court.
It is pertinent to mention that Rana Sarwat was also injured two months ago, when an unknown armed man targeted him at the District Courts after he was arrested by the Bara Kahu Police in a murder case. A head constable Muhammad Rafiq received bullet injuries, while the assailant was able to flee the scene.
The incident took a site surrounded by the offices of senior officials including the senior superintendent of police, chief commissioner, deputy commissioner and others. Several similar incidents have occurred at the premises of District Courts, but the top officials have turned a blind eye to the serious issue, says an official. He said due to the increasing threat of terrorist attacks and spending Rs 32.673 million had been spent on erecting a security wall and installation of walkthrough gates around the offices of senior officials, but the administration had failed to ensure complete checking of visitors, which was one of the main reason behind these incidents.
“The main purpose of the said project is to ensure checking of the visitors as well as to ensure security of the officials and those visiting these offices for assignment of various natures. The project has not fulfilled its objectives so far as most of the people are entering the premises without checking as well as majority of the walkthrough gates did not work, which is creating fear among the officials,” he said. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Aamir Ali Ahmad directed security officials to conducted strict checking of visitors, including the lawyer, entering the premises of District Courts.
“Security officials deployed at the walkthrough gates will conduct checking of all visitors in order to avoid such kinds of incidents in future”, he said.
