ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: Six weeks after the event, the federal government on Monday constituted a judicial commission to probe last month’s hairy standoff between a cornered gunman and the police in the heart of Islamabad.

Additional Attorney General Shah Khawar announced the formation of the three-member commission to a bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, which is hearing a private petition that questioned the role of the media and the police in the high drama.

Live coverage of the afternoon drama by television channels on August 15 had kept the nation on tenterhooks. It ended with the police shooting and capturing the gunman Malik Sikandar, in the wake of unwanted, and controversial, bravado shown by an opposition politician to overpower him.

Petitioner Tariq Asad had requested the Supreme Court to direct the media to act responsibly and appoint a commission “under a reputed retired military officer to probe and discover the conspiracy behind incident”.

Ex-judge Shahid Saeed of the Lahore High Court heads the commission announced by the federal government, with Additional Secretary Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Javed Akhtar and Director (Investigations) FIA Dr Usman Anwar as members.

They have been given three weeks to find out any mishandling of the August 15 crisis and suggest procedures to avoid such a situation in the capital in future.

Television footage of the entire drama could be a great help to the commission in its task.

Armed with two assault rifles and carrying his wife Kanwal and their two kids in a car, Malik Sikandar crossed several police check points in the city centre undetected but was stopped at one point that denies entry into the Red Zone of the federal capital.

That angered him and he drove off firing in the air.

Police cars gave him chase, knocked down the fender of his car and cornered him in a shopping area. Instructions to police to catch him alive produced a primetime live drama for the television channels.

Interspersed with commentaries and discussions, the channels showed police negotiating with Sikandar, first through his wife and then directly, and the botched attempt by local PPP leader Zamarud Khan to grab him that made police shoot at him and capture him.

AAG Shah Khawar informed the court that the notification forming the commission under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act 1956 had been issued on Monday.

About its terms of reference (ToR), the law officer said the commission would consider in depth the capacity of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police to handle hostage situations and point out shortcomings in the police force.

It will also probe into the Islamabad police failing in cordoning off, and ensuring effective control, at the hot spot, “resulting in uncalled for intrusion”.

Similarly, the commission will probe the failure of the Islamabad administration and police to respond as a coherent unit.

The role of the administration was incorporated in the ToR in the light of a Supreme Court observation.

In its August 23 hearing, the court had expressed disappointment over the failure of the magisterial administrative system of governance and held that the district magistrates were equally responsible in controlling the law and order situation as head of the district administration.

Then the court had suggested Secretary Interior Qamar Zaman to consider incorporating the role of the district magistrate in the terms of reference of a committee being set up on the orders of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to probe into the incident.

AAG Shah Khawar said the commission would assess the performance of the office of the Islamabad administration and the police with reference to job description and fix responsibility on the delinquent officers as well as the role of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) in failing to assist the Islamabad administration and police to control the media situation.

AAG Shah Khawar said the commission would have the power to summon record from any person and record evidence of any person. Non-compliance of the directions of the commission in this respect will be punishable under the relevant laws.

All concerned authorities and departments of the federal government, chief commissioner ICT and Islamabad police are obliged to assist the commission in its work.

The Supreme Court ordered that pending the probe by the commission, the relevant authorities will not act upon the report of the inquiry committee that was constituted and gave its findings within 48 hours after the incident.