BAHAWALPUR: One person was killed and four policemen injured in a clash between a police team and villagers in Basti Sahlan on Friday night.

Police sources said they received information about liquor stocked in the house of Altaf Ahmed at which a team, led by Saddar Station House Officer Sajjad Ahmed, in plainclothes conducted a raid on it.

Neighbours and family members of Ahmed surrounded the police that led to a clash between the two sides. Policemen allegedly opened fire, killing Ahmed on the spot. The villagers took the police team hostage over the killing.

A heavy contingent of police reached the spot to rescue the raiding team. The police claimed that its four employees suffered injuries and were shifted to the emergency ward of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital where they were said to be out of danger.

District Police Officer Dr Iqbal Ahmed said an inquiry would be initiated into the firing and if proved guilty, legal action would be taken against the policemen responsible for killing Ahmed.

Ahmed’s body was shifted to morgue, while the district police chief’s spokesman said legal action and registration of a first information report was under consideration.

APPEALS: An election tribunal, headed by Justice Masood Abid Naqvi of the Bahawalpur bench of Lahore High Court, on Friday dismissed the appeals of former MPAs Dr Waseem Akhtar and Syed Tabish Alwari.

The former MPAs had filed appeals against the rejection of their nomination papers to contest from PP-246 Bahawalpur.

JAILED: Anti-Terrorism Court judge Malik Shabbir Ahmed sentenced three alleged members of the militant Islamic State group to two-years imprisonment along with fine of Rs20,000 each and ordered confiscation of their properties.

The Counterterrorism Department police station had registered a first information report against Hassan Yousaf of Faisalabad, Waqas Abid and Munazam Ali of Sialkot on March 31, 2017.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2018