Dozens attack prisoner vans near Islamabad

ISLAMABAD:

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

A police spokesman said several prisoners escaped during the chaos but were later apprehended. Four police officers were injured during the attack.

Sharing details of the incident, the police spokesperson said as many as 82 inmates were being shifted to Attock Jail after the hearing when the unknown assailants in four cars attacked prison vans near Sanjgani Toll Plaza.

According to a police spokesman, the attackers carried weapons, sticks and stones. He claimed that four police officers were injured in the attack, while three attackers were detained by police. He added that a search operation is underway in the area to nab the rest of the attackers.

The IG Islamabad said that around 25 to 26 assailants were involved in the incident, who also resorted to firing at police.

Appearance at court

Earlier, District Magistrate Muhammad Azhar Nadeem presided over a hearing for the identification parade of the 82 suspects, dismissing the case as they had been produced before the court and therefore their identities were known to the police and the complainant.

According to the court order, which was accessed by Dawn.com, these suspects were arrested during the PTI rally in Islamabad on October 4. The counsel for the suspect, Ansar Mehmood Kayani, said that 34 of them were police personnel while 42 of them Red 1,122 personnel. 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 tried to reach Islamabad’s D-Chowk for a party meeting despite a ban on public gatherings.

“(The) request to send the suspects for identification is denied and all of them are hereby dismissed from the present case,” the court’s order said. “They will be released immediately if they are not needed in any other case.”