Dozens attack prisoner vans near Islamabad

ISLAMABAD:

About two dozen unidentified assailants attacked prison vans on the outskirts of Islamabad near the Sanjgani Toll Plaza on Friday while prisoners were being transported back to Attock Prison after a court hearing.

A police spokesman said several prisoners escaped during the chaos but were later detained and four police officers were injured in the attack.

Giving details of the incident, the police spokesman said that as many as 82 prisoners were shifted to Attock Jail after the court hearing when unknown assailants riding in four cars attacked the prison cars near Sanjgani Toll Plaza.

A police spokesman said the attackers had weapons, sticks and stones with them. He assured that four policemen were injured in the attack and three attackers were detained by the police, and added that searches were underway in the area to catch the remaining attackers.

IG Islamabad reported that the incident involved around 25–26 attackers who also started firing at the police.

The appearance of the court

Earlier, District Judge Muhammad Azhar Nadeem had presided over an identification parade hearing of 82 suspects, dismissing the case on the grounds that they had been produced in court and therefore their identities were known to the police and the complainant.

According to the court order seen by Dawn.com, the suspects were arrested during a PTI rally in Islamabad on October 4. The accused’s lawyer, Ansar Mehmood Kayani, said that 34 of them were police officers and 42 were, among others. Save 1,122 workers. PTI MPAs Anwar Zeb and Malik Liaquat Khan are among the six arrested PTI members.

On October 4, at least 30 protesters were arrested when police fired tear gas to disperse PTI protesters who were trying to reach D-Chowk in Islamabad for a party rally, despite a ban on public gatherings.

“(The) request to send the defendant on an identification parade is denied and all are hereby dismissed from this case,” the court’s order stated. “They are to be released immediately unless otherwise required.”