LAHORE: The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Lahore has completed spadework for the arrest of “50 top shooters/hired assassins” who were allegedly involved in the murder of nearly 150 citizens in the provincial capital over the last few years.

They would hit the ‘target’ by charging paltry amount starting from Rs20,000.

Of them [recently] the names of four of them have been put on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendations of the CIA.

The names of several others have also been put on the ‘red list’ and the CIA has taken the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on board for the issuance of red warrants for the arrest of those who fled the country.

Many of them have gone underground in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when the CIA launched a crackdown.

50 ‘sharp shooters’ allegedly killed nearly 150 citizens over last few years

A few teams of the agency would be dispatched to KP where they would get help from the local police and agencies to trace the hideouts of the shooters.

An official privy to the development said the provincial capital Lahore has witnessed an increase in ‘shoot to kill’ incidents.

During investigations, it transpired that most of the citizens were murdered by the ‘sharp shooters’ of the city.

As the police further expanded the scope of investigations, they got shocked to find that the hitmen were taking human lives against petty amounts.

He said the inquiries unveiled that several ‘hit squads’ were killing their ‘targets’ against paltry sum starting from Rs20,000 only.

The police had also unearthed a case in Nishtar Colony where a shooter allegedly received Rs10,000 and killed the man.

In another incident, two young hired assassins had shot dead a passenger and a taxi driver in the crowded but high security zone of the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

The armed attack on PML-N MPA Bilal Yasin on Mohni Road and the murder of a young journalist of a local TV channel outside the Lahore Press Club also drew attention of the police authorities, the official said.

Murder of a trader by two shooters in Chuhng against payment of Rs120,000 and an armed attack on an FBR official in Lahore were also among the prominent cases surfaced in Lahore, prompting the police high-ups to take action against them.

Keeping in view the decisive role of the CIA police in this respect, newly-appointed Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana called an emergency meeting of agency’s top officers the other day.

Lahore Investigation Wing DIG Shahzada Sultan, CIA police chief SSP Asim Kamboh, Anti-Vehicle Lifting Squad SP Aftab Phularwan and other officers attended the meeting and they briefed the CCPO about hardened criminals and the shooters behind the organised crime in the city.

Many decisions were taken to lay hands on the offenders, the official said.

On the occasion, the CCPO said CIA is the backbone of Lahore police and has a key role to play in eradicating serious crimes.

Bilal Siddique Kamyana directed that the perpetrators of serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, rape and robbery, should be brought to justice.

He directed the officials to formulate a coordinated strategy for the arrest of target killers and shooters.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2022