A man was killed and two others were injured after highway police opened fire on their car over their refusal to pull over in the Faisalabad Dijikot district.
“Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shahid Manzoor tried to stop a black Toyota Corolla driving on Samundari Road on the night of January 20th”, according to a statement from the City Police Officer (CPO) of Faisalabad. Within the car were four people, the statement said.
The statement further noted that when the car did not stop, the highway police officers pursued it and began shooting at it. Adding, that the people inside scattered and started running when the car entered Pharala village.
"It was found out the driver of the car, Mohammad Waqas Ahmed, was injured as a result of the firing. He was immediately shifted to hospital where he [died]."
The statement also claimed that an investigation into the incident was "immediately" launched by a highway police officer and local police officials and they found that the highway police officers had committed "excesses and acted beyond the call of duty" upon initial investigation.
The police statement said, "There was no justification of firing at unarmed innocent people.” Police officers involved in the incident were arrested after an FIR was registered against them.
Dawn reported the car occupants were on the their way back to their village from Faisalabad about 9pm in the night when they saw the four highway police officers, known as ASI Shahid Manzoor, Ghulam Dastagir, Usman Hameed, and Mohsin Sufyan, who told them to stop.
The CPO said that a "objective inquiry" would be carried out into the case and offered condolences to the families of the deceased. "Nobody is above the law. Even if they are policemen, if they commit excesses, the same laws will be applicable to them as to any ordinary citizen.”
“Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shahid Manzoor tried to stop a black Toyota Corolla driving on Samundari Road on the night of January 20th”, according to a statement from the City Police Officer (CPO) of Faisalabad. Within the car were four people, the statement said.
The statement further noted that when the car did not stop, the highway police officers pursued it and began shooting at it. Adding, that the people inside scattered and started running when the car entered Pharala village.
"It was found out the driver of the car, Mohammad Waqas Ahmed, was injured as a result of the firing. He was immediately shifted to hospital where he [died]."
The statement also claimed that an investigation into the incident was "immediately" launched by a highway police officer and local police officials and they found that the highway police officers had committed "excesses and acted beyond the call of duty" upon initial investigation.
The police statement said, "There was no justification of firing at unarmed innocent people.” Police officers involved in the incident were arrested after an FIR was registered against them.
Dawn reported the car occupants were on the their way back to their village from Faisalabad about 9pm in the night when they saw the four highway police officers, known as ASI Shahid Manzoor, Ghulam Dastagir, Usman Hameed, and Mohsin Sufyan, who told them to stop.
The CPO said that a "objective inquiry" would be carried out into the case and offered condolences to the families of the deceased. "Nobody is above the law. Even if they are policemen, if they commit excesses, the same laws will be applicable to them as to any ordinary citizen.”