Sahiwal encounter: Swift action to be taken in light of JIT report, says PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday promised that swift action would be taken against those found responsible for wrongdoing with regard to the Sahiwal incident.

The prime minister took to Twitter to acknowledge the CTD's great job in the fight against terrorism, but insisted that everyone must be accountable before the law.

"As soon as the joint investigation team report comes, swift action will be taken. The government's priority is protection of all its citizens," the premier said.

In what the law-enforcement agencies under the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) described as an encounter with terrorists, the elite Punjab Police on Saturday killed four people, including parents and their teenage daughter, while one of the three surviving children who were witness to the tragedy denied the official version in a video that went viral on social media.

The prime minister wrote, “Still shocked at seeing the traumatised children, who saw their parents shot before their eyes. Any parent would be shocked as they would think of their own children in such a traumatic situation. These children will now be fully looked after by the state as its responsibility."

He added, “While the CTD has done a great job in fight against terrorism, everyone must be accountable before the law. As soon as JIT report comes, swift action will be taken. The govt's priority is protection of all its citizens.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Arshad Dad also reacted strongly to the incident in messages on social media and wrote, “The state should now move with complete resolve & conviction towards rigorous cleansing of police within its ambit to make it an organ of citizens’ protection and effective law enforcement without any further delay.”

He said, “The gruesome incident of Sahiwal has exposed the darker sides of our institution’s capacity to respond to critical/sensitive situations and highlights the urgent need of reforms especially in law enforcement machinery.”