GUJRANWALA, Oct 13: The Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 on Friday recorded the statement of Gujranwala Additional IG Malik Muhammad Iqbal (then DIG) after a barrage of queries. No less than 120 questions were asked to him in the Sialkot jail case.

The judge summoned Jhang DPO Amjad Javed Saleemi and SSP (highways) Raja Munawar Hassan for evidence on Oct 19.

The AIG said the police had no enmity with judges while action on July 25, 2005 was only meant for the rescue of judges. He said complainant Muhammad Yousaf Aujala had lodged an FIR against jail officials, but after two days the prosecution involved police in it.

He claimed the police reached the jail on the call of complainant for the help of hostages. But in the meantime, the accused had started firing on the sessions judge while two jail officials also suffered injuries.

He said the accused had asked to provide them at least five Kalashnikovs and a 72-seated bus in their talks with the Sialkot administration in the jail. However, the accused started firing, killing civil judge Asif Mumtaz Cheema.

The court asked him why he started operation after the Lahore High Court chief justice had forbidden it, he replied that he asked the then sessions judge to provide him a written order of the chief justice which he could not produce.

He said he and then Sialkot DCO had tried to call out army commandos but to no avail. He revealed that the Supreme Court had termed his action correct during the hearing of his bail application and also ruled out that officers could only be held responsible if they did not perform their duties.

Former jail superintendent Sikander Hayat, assistant superintendents Akhtar Iqbal, Raja Mushtaq, Ghulam Sarwar and other officials, already on bail, were also present. The court adjourned the case till Oct 19.

INAUGURATED: City District Government Nazim Fiaz Ahmad Chattha inaugurated a gynae unit at Sodara RHC on Friday.

He said the gynae unit had been established under the women health project with the cooperation of the Asian Development Bank at a cost of Rs500,000.

About 23,000 women of the area would benefit from the maternity unit, he said and added that such units would be set up at almost all RHCs throughout the district.

DIRECTION: A local court on Friday directed to exhume the body of a deceased youth and appointed a DHQ Hospital’s medical board, headed by a judicial magistrate, for this purpose.

The judge gave this order on a petition of Eisha Bibi, the mother of deceased Babar, who pleaded that her son was poisoned to death by Ashfaq and Shahzad Masih during taking of liquor a few days ago in Tariqabad locality.