Two men lost their lives in a deadly 'shootout' outside the Judicial Complex in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, DawnNewsTV reported.
The incident took place when four suspects, accused of committing a murder in 2015, were brought to the District and Sessions Courts, where they came up against Abdul Sattar Khan — the witness summoned by the court to testify against them in the case.
Sattar opened indiscriminate fire at the accused men outside the court building, injuring several, including a bystander. The victims, in retaliation, killed Sattar with his own weapon.
Meanwhile, suspect Fahim succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital.
Civil Lines police later said the two parties had long been in conflict with each other and that Sattar was carrying two pistols, one of which led to his own demise.
The successful bypassing of security checks and walk-through gates by the deceased witness-cum-assailant created a sense of insecurity among the lawyers and judges.
Following the incident, the police officers deployed at the entrance and exit points of the judicial complex were suspended.
A police official told Dawn that the assailant was able to bypass security checks as he gained entry into the complex in a lawyer's automobile.
"Lawyers don't let their cars and the passengers travelling in it get checked by the security," the official added.