PM, COAS attend funeral prayers for 3 martyred Rangers soldiers

RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while condemning the violent acts of PTI mob, on Tuesday maintained that Pakistan cannot afford any chaos and bloodshed for achieving vested political purposes.

The prime minister on Tuesday, along with Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and senior serving military and civil officials, attended the funeral prayers of three Rangers officials at the Chaklala Garrison.

Naik Muhammad Ramzan Shaheed (age 47 years, resident of District Karak), Sepoy Gulfam Khan Shaheed (29 years, resident of District Rawalpindi) and Sepoy Shah Nawaz Shaheed (33, resident of District Sibi) embraced Shahadat during the ongoing PTI protest.

The prime minister said that acts of violence are unacceptable and highly condemnable which are bordering the limits of restraint by the Law Enforcement Agencies. “The entire nation pays homage to the martyred Rangers soldiers and all those police officials who have embraced shahadat and those who are injured during these riots,” Shehbaz said.

The bodies of Shuhada have been taken to their native hometowns where they will be laid to rest with full military honour.

Earlier, at about 3am on Tuesday, targeting Rangers deployed at F-10 Chawk, a black V8 Land Cruiser appeared from H-11 and rammed into the Rangers troops with the speed of over 150 km/h, crushed leaving four officials dead on the spot while more than 7 sustained serious injuries.

The security officials said that the activists of PTI were deliberately targeting law enforcement officers, resulting in the deaths of several personnel. The authorities have instructed to identify and punish those responsible for the violence. According to security sources, violent PTI protesters have attacked law enforcement agencies, resulting in the martyrdom of four Rangers officials and two police officers. Numerous Rangers and police personnel have also been injured, with over 100 security officials reportedly wounded, many seriously.

Meanwhile, PTI founder chairman Imran Khan, Umar Amin Gandapur, Salar Khan Kakar and Shahid Khattak have been booked under 14 sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act in a case of the death and injury of a police constable near Hakla Interchange. The case has been registered at the Police Station Taxila. According to the FIA, the attackers were armed with tear gas, rubber bullets and firearms. The accused attacked police officers and officials with sticks and stones and violated Section 144.

According to the FIR text, the attack on the police was carried out as part of a criminal conspiracy by the founder and leadership of the PTI. The police dispersed after the accused opened fire. The accused injured constable Mubashir Rahsan and abducted him in a red van. Constables Adnan, Rais and Naeem were also injured in the attack by the accused. According to the FIR, it was later reported that the accused threw constable Mubashir Rahsan under the Hakla bridge and fled. Constable Rahsan was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

On the other hand, funeral prayers of police constable Mubashir, who was killed in violence by PTI workers, were offered at the police lines. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the inspector general of police and senior civil and police officials were present on the occasion.

Mobashir, a 46-year-old police constable, had joined the Punjab Police about 12 years ago and was posted at Shahjamal Police Station in Muzaffargarh at the time.

According to Reuters, PTI leader Zulfikar Bukhari said two protesters had also been killed and 30 injured in the clashes, the worst political violence seen in months in the South Asian nation of 241 million people. One of the protesters was shot dead and the other was run over by a vehicle, Bukhari said. Authorities did not respond to a query seeking to confirm the deaths and Reuters could not independently verify the information.