The Punjab Home Department on Saturday has sent Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report on Sahiwal incident to Prime Minister Office. In the report, the character of slain Zeeshan's brother Ihteshaam was termed as suspicious while placing his name on fourth schedule was also recommended. The department has also suggested launching investigation against the senior officers for altering the evidence.
Earlier, suspects involved in the Sahiwal tragedy were sent on a 14-day judicial remand. Investigation team said that Khalil's family could have been saved. However, the CTD officers exceeded from their authority. On January 19, CTD officials had killed four people, including a couple and their teenage daughter in an alleged "encounter" in Sahiwal, triggering a national outcry that prompted the government to take the security officials into custody and order an investigation into the incident.
The officials claimed that the 'terrorists' were killed in an intelligence based operation (IBO). Three other terrorists including Shahid Jabar and Abdul Rehman managed to flee during the chase near the toll plaza of Sahiwal. They also claimed of confiscating explosives and weapons from the car adding that officers were investigating into the matter as part of the operation in Faisalabad on January 16.
Contrarily, an eye witness has told the media that the deceased were neither equipped with any weapon nor resisted officers whereas three children were also present in the car. The eyewitnesses further said that the children while speaking to them at a nearby petrol station claimed that the "police have killed their parents".
"Following the firing incident, the police left the children at the petrol station where they spoke to us. A few minutes later, however, CTD officials returned and took the children with them to an undisclosed location," the eyewitnesses added.