Promises made by the Punjab government went vain as the deadline to submit the report of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on Sahiwal incident ended on Tuesday.
Additional Inspector General (IG) Establishment Ijaz Shah, who is heading the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) revealed that six officers of the Counter-Terrorism Department were under detention and statements of four eyewitnesses were recorded so far.
“It is difficult to compile a report of such a ‘big’ incident in a short span of time,” Shah said during his visit to Sahiwal.
“It is not even possible to submit an initial report right now. We will conduct investigations on scientific basis and determine what the truth is,” said Shah while speaking to the media after visiting the incident site and recording statements of eyewitnesses earlier today.
Shah further said that facts can only be ascertained after initial statements are recorded and lab results are received. The JIT members examined the crime spot to review every aspect of the incident. Members from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau have also been included in the team.
According to sources, no potential breakthrough could be achieved in the Sahiwal tragedy so far, however a report is expected to be compiled by the JIT. Moreover, several critical evidences have been lost after clearance of the crime spot near Sahiwal where the incident took place. Besides, bullets and the car’s forensic tests could not be performed.
Authorities have recorded statements of concerned officers for compiling the report when eyewitnesses refused to record their statements at the police rest house. The report has also collected evidence from the footages which were obtained by media and citizens.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has asked the general public to have patience and wait for an appropriate action after the JIT report.
On the other hand, names of officers involved in the incident have been made known. The operation was led by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) sub-inspector Safdar Hussain, other officers including Ahsan Khan, Muhammad Ramzan, Saifullah and Husnain.
Four people including two women were killed in broad daylight on Jan 19 by CTD officials in a shady encounter in Sahiwal. The CTD’s version of events contradicted with what eyewitnesses and the injured children had to say. On the other hand, Punjab law minister termed the murder as “collateral damage” during the raid to eliminate a terrorist associated with Daesh.