LAHORE: Police took into custody one of the six security guards involved in the shooting of 23-year-old Malik Tahir but the victim’s family on Thursday kept pressing the police for arrest of former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s son Abdul Qadir Gilani, the only suspect nominated in the case.

Police investigators looked reluctant to detain Qadir Gilani and include him in the course of investigation keeping in view the sensitivity of the case.

Know more: Gilani’s son, six guards implicated in youth’s murder

“My primary demand to the Punjab government and police authorities is to arrest Qadir Gilani who was travelling along with his security guards at the time of shooting and escaped instantly from the crime scene. The shooting took place at his (Gilani’s) behest,” said Malik Tanveer, the father of victim Tahir.

Police say no proof of Gilani’s presence at crime scene

Tanveer, a property dealer and resident of the Punjab Government Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Phase II, Sattukatla, said his son, who was working with a private firm after his B.Com exams, and his elder brother Waheed had only dared to overtake Qadir Gilani’s vehicle and his two escort vehicles at a speed breaker.

“One of the private escort vehicles got closer to their motorcycle, security guards in the vehicle abused them with a hand sign and then one of them fired a shot at my younger son (Tahir) who died instantly. Waheed came to know about Mr Gilani when a woman whose car was also hit by another escort vehicle during Gilani’s entourage escape made video on her mobile phone of Gilani’s vehicle entering his Y-Block DHA residence (hardly a half kilometer away from the crime scene) along with escort vehicles,” said Tanveer.

“Is a common man so worthless in the eyes of the VVIPs that he has no right to travel on a road freely?” he asked.

Tanveer said police had seized a Kalashnikov and shells from the detained suspect, and he and his other son (Waheed) would visit the SP CIA to see if police had arrested the same suspect seen by Waheed.

Terming the incident hooliganism and terrorism, he blamed the rulers for promoting the VVIP culture at the cost of ordinary citizens.

Taimoor Ahmad, the maternal cousin of Tahir, described the victim as a good human being and a peaceful citizen who never joined any bad company.

“Tahir wanted to do M.Com and go to Dubai for job. We still do not believe Tahir has passed away as he was active during Eid holidays and left home yesterday to deliver sacrificial meat and some sports goods in the Defence area,” he said.

DIG (Investigation) Sahibzada Shahzad Sultan said police would arrest all those found guilty of the crime. He said police had taken one of the suspects into custody and further investigations were going on before arrest of the remaining suspects.

Sultan said he was not in a position to comment on police action against Abdul Qadir Gilani owing to sensitivity of the case, claiming police had not yet got proof of his presence at the crime scene. He said there was no pressure from any quarters to avoid action against Mr Gilani. He said police investigators had obtained statements of the witnesses and the detained suspect.

An investigator told Dawn that police had seized a double-cabin pickup truck, an SMG weapon and shells. He identified the arrested suspect as 30-year-old Muhammad Khan of Sanghar who had confessed to firing at the motorcyclists. He said a police team paid a visit to the house of Qadir Gilani but could not find him there.

The investigator claimed the provincial government had given the go-ahead to arrest Qadir Gilani who had been missing since the happening of crime. He said that after the inclusion of terrorism charges in the case, a joint investigation team would be formed by the government to hold a probe into it.

The detained guard, the investigator said, stated before the police that the motorcyclists were repeatedly overtaking squad vehicles of Qadir Gilani which irritated the guards and he opened fire with an intention to hit feet of the victim. Meanwhile, the funeral prayers for Tahir were offered in his locality and burial was performed at a graveyard in Wahdat Colony.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2014