ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into the recent killing of a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officer in Islamabad, calling for the suspect responsible to be punished in accordance with the law.
Islamabad Police said on Sunday that it arrested one suspect who shot dead PAF’s Group Captain Asim Tariq on Islamabad’s busy 9th Avenue road located close to several government offices and the PAF’s headquarters.
Islamabad Police spokesman Muhammad Taqi Jawad said Tariq left his office on Sunday when he noticed a man arguing with a woman and decided to intervene. Police said the suspect, Saad Abbasi, shot the officer and fled the scene. Tariq later succumbed to his injuries.
“The prime minister directed the relevant authorities to conduct a complete and transparent investigation into the incident,” a statement from Sharif’s office said. “And ensure that those responsible are brought to justice and punished in accordance with the law.”
Sharif expressed deep grief over the PAF officer’s killing, saying that he had set an unparalleled example of courage and devotion to duty by protecting the honor of a woman.
“The entire nation stands with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
Sharing details about the incident on Sunday, Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Ali Nasir Rizvi said Abbasi was trying to forcefully take the woman with him. He said the woman kept hitting him repeatedly, prompting Tariq to intervene to save her.
He said the suspect worked with the woman at a departmental store in Islamabad and had offered to give her a ride to the workplace. The woman resisted when the suspect tried to take her elsewhere, leading to an altercation.
Islamabad Police said eleven teams were constituted to track down the suspect. These included a digital surveillance team, a cellular technology team, a private camera team, and a Safe City camera team.
