SAHIWAL: Okanwala Bangla police on Saturday booked four people under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1996 in connection with a violent gun clash between two political groups within the Al-Noor mosque premises in village 97/12-L, Chichawatni tehsil, following Friday prayers.

The firing had left nine people injured, including three worshipers, a woman and a passerby labourer.

The clash reportedly began with an exchange of harsh words between supporters of PTI and PML-N before the Friday prayers. The situation led to a crossfire between the two groups.

ASP Mr Taseer told Dawn the case was registered late at night after a thorough review of CCTV footage from cameras installed in and outside the mosque. Police have booked two brothers, Anjum Iqbal and Najam Iqbal, sons of Iqbal of the Ghakkar caste, along with Usman and Allah Dita, all residents of the same village. The FIR was filed under Sections 295, 34, 334 of PPC and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, based on a complaint by Talib, a retired food department employee and resident of the village.

Both Anjum and Najam were currently admitted to the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital, with Najam reported to be in a critical condition.

The police registered a case against PML-N supporters following a complaint by PTI supporters.

A source close to the situation revealed that both parties had pressured the police to file cases against the other. However, the police relied on CCTV footage to determine the sequence of events.

Another source stated the police plan to include a “cross-version” in the FIR, as both groups were engaged in indiscriminate firing, violating the sanctity of the mosque.

The DPO said 7 ATA was included as firing was done in the mosque during the presence of more than 200 worshippers. The FIR alleges that the suspects entered the mosque and started firing, injuring complainant’s son Umer, and nephews Nasir and Azram, who were offering prayers.

The crossfire, which lasted 15-20 minutes, resulted in injuries to several individuals, including Anjum, Najam, Raja Umer Talib, Yasir Zaib, Saqib Saeed, Arslan Aslam, Shahzad, and Iqba’s wife Nasreen.

DPO Rana Tahir told Dawn the situation in the village was stable as policemen in civvies were patrolling the area.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025