Army has requested the police to "seal" the FIR of the terrorist attack on the GHQ and cease any investigation till the completion of a departmental inquiry, police sources told Business Recorder on Wednesday. The Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas, Director General, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told Business Recorder that the FIR had not been "sealed" but the police investigation process would be delayed till the completion of a departmental inquiry.
After the completion of the departmental inquiry by the Army, police would be requested to investigate the matter, he said. General Abbas said it would be premature to identify all the planners of the attack or to ascertain the real reason behind the attack. "Departmental inquiry is at an early stage and it will take time to expose the hands of those involved in this attack," he added.
According to him, all those involved in the attack will be taken to task and will be tried in the court of law. The ISPR chief denied the arrest of any person by the Army or any intelligence agency, saying that police have carried out raids at different locations and arrested several people who had, allegedly, facilitated the terrorists in executing the attack. "I am unable to give the exact number of the detained persons but they are all in police custody," Abbas said.
Abbas also assured that an inquiry is in the process and with the passage of time everything will be crystal clear. "There is nothing to hide from the general public and after completion of the inquiry the case will be handed over to police for further investigations, and trial of those involved in this attack," he added. When this scribe contacted Superintendent of Police (SP) Cantonment Rana Shahid Parvaiz, he said that police were waiting for a written order to begin investigations.
Rana Shahid said the police was involved in locating the residences of terrorists. Asked about the detention of 29 people including three women in Tuesday raids in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the SP Cantonment said that police were not involved in raids or arrest of suspects.
He said that Army was itself investigating the matter and after they complete the inquiry, they will ask the police to take the investigation further. "Investigation is the job of the police and we are ready to do this," he added. The SHO of R A Bazar Police Station stated that the police had detained the mastermind of the attack Aqeel alias Dr Usman but was now under Army custody.
In addition, an FIR has been registered against nine of his dead accomplices, he added. Asked about the trial of the detained persons, Inspector Jameel said that trial was a later stage of the case. "First we have to investigate and ascertain who were behind the attack and what was their intent, then a challan will be presented in the court to try the culprits," he added.