Leakage of accused’s statement: Elahi suspends all staff of police station

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi Thursday directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to constitute a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the attack on Imran Khan’s long march in Wazirabad. He said the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) would be included in the JIT, so that the motives behind the attack could be ascertained.

In his special video message, he said he inquired after Imran Khan at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital, adding that the former premier was feeling much better. He said Imran Khan expressed his firm resolve to continue his mission.

The Punjab CM said apparently the attacker was not a single person, and there were two attackers on the scene. “We want to know who is behind the incident and who trained the accused. How much money he received and from where he was brought for the attack.”

The chief minister disclosed that mobile-phones of the suspended police officers had been confiscated who had leaked the video statement of accused to the media. He said the government wanted to know with whom the police staff were in contact regarding the incident.

The CM said the investigation report would be shared with the media and promised to bring to book the real culprits. Earlier, the CM chaired an emergency meeting on Thursday and directed the IGP to put forth the motives of the attack after making an investigation. Matters pertaining to the firing incident came under review in the meeting.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Sibtain Khan, Shafqat Mahmood, MPA Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Akhtar Malik, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, the IGP, Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Khan Bhatti, commissioner Lahore Division, CCPO Lahore and other officials attended the meeting. The CM directed the inspector general of police to take strict disciplinary action against the irresponsible police staff. He ordered an inquiry into the leakage of video-link statement of the under-arrest accused.

Mobile phones of all the police station staff have been taken into custody and their forensic audit will be conducted.