Sahiwal investigation: Only two witnesses appear before JIT

LAHORE: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which is probing the Sahiwal killings, is finding it difficult to record the eyewitness statements, sources said.

The families of the victims as well as the lawyer pursuing their case in the court have accused the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials of giving them threats. The JIT members spent three hours at the Yousaf Wala Police Station on Monday and recorded statements of only two witnesses, despite making announcements in mosques and display of notices on the walls.

Two people, who had arrived at the scene of the ‘encounter’ after the firing had taken place, recorded their statements. “Two statements have been recorded. We will come again if anyone else comes forward. We are in Sahiwal and eyewitnesses can come to meet us this (Monday) evening or even tomorrow (Tuesday),” said AIG Aijaz Shah, who is heading the JIT.

The lawyer, representing the family members of Khalil, has alleged that the CTD officers are trying to save their colleagues. Shahbaz Bukhari informed reporters that members of Khalil’s family, including his brother, were receiving death threats. “The CCPO Lahore has been informed of the threats and family members have also told the JIT about the life threats,” Bukhari said. He claimed that a Grade-20 officer of the CTD had hurled threats at him and Khalil’s brother, Jalil, on phone, of which he possessed the recording. He also presented the recording of the call to media persons and claimed that he had provided the same to the JIT team also.

Bukhari claimed that the JIT was not informing them about the progress in investigation. He appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide protection to the victim family to avert any possible tragedy. He questioned as to why the earlier FIR was not quashed despite being proved false and concocted one.

On January 19, four people — including three members of a family — were killed in an alleged encounter in Sahiwal. The CTD personnel said they had killed a local commander of the militant organisation Daesh and three others in the operation. Eyewitnesses, however, disputed the claim and said the people in the car did not fire at the officials, nor were any explosives recovered from the vehicle.