On 19th January Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) carried out an operation on a highway near Sahiwal city of Pakistan where a white car was stopped by CTD officials, which according to their information at the time, was carrying Islamic State members. What followed was a botched police encounter which resulted in the death of a couple, their teenage daughter and the driver. The victims were identified as grocery store owner Mohammad Khalil, his wife Nabila, their 13-year-old daughter Areeba and their friend, Zeeshan Javed. Their son Umair Khalil sustained bullet wounds while his sister Muniba’s hand was injured due to broken glass of car while Hadiba, their daughter, remained unhurt.
On January 19, the CTD claimed in a statement that they signaled a Suzuki Alto car and a motorcycle to stop near Sahiwal Toll Plaza on GT Road, but they did not pull over and instead opened fire on the police. The CTD officials retaliated and four people, including two women, were killed by the “firing of their own accomplices” in the ensuing firefight, according to the CTD. However, later it transpired that except for Zeeshan, all other occupants of the car were an innocent family.
The incident triggered a nationwide outrage and calls for the government to come clean on the shady operation. A joint investigation team formed to probe into the incident confirmed that the family was innocent and that the CTD officials were responsible for their killing. Subsequently, the government in Punjab removed some top CTD officials and suspended others, while announcing to try five CTD officials responsible for the killings on terrorism and murder charges.
It was clear from the beginning that it was a botched operation and the CTD officials who carried it out were squarely blamed for the deaths of the passengers of the car. Earlier this week an in-camera briefing was held for the media by Pakistani government officials to explain the proceedings in the case, in an attempt to throw cold water on public anger. But not much was clarified publicly, in or after the media briefing. Pakistani media ran some stories but without any solid evidence, and those stories did little to convince the general public what exactly led to that botched operation on Jan 19.
Now ITCT Newsdesk has obtained new evidence that suggests that the story behind the incident was much more complex than what has been told to the Pakistani public by the media or government officials.
Operation Zulfiqar
It all started with Operation Zulfiqar, which was launched in 2017 by CTD, backed up by Pakistani intelligence agencies. The main focus of the operation was the presence of Islamic State members in Pakistan, and in particular Punjab province. After initially denying IS presence in Pakistan, Pakistani intelligence agencies finally admitted that over the years IS has recruited several people in Pakistan who in turn created a strong IS network, which needed to be dismantled.
While following the trail of IS recruits in Pakistan, CTD officials identified at least nine people who they believed were a significant part of IS network in Punjab province.
The nine IS members who were identified by CTD officials as an important part of IS network in Punjab. 1. Abdul Rehman (IS Emir in Punjab), Adeel Hafeez (Deputy Emir), Usman Haroon, Kashif Choto, Zeeshan (facilitator), Rizwan Akram, Imran Saqi, Zubair (no photo available), and Shahid Jabbar.
As per their intelligence, CTD officials believed that these nine men were involved in the following incidents:
- Abduction and killing of foreigners including Warren Weinstein
- Kidnapping Of Brigadier (retired) Tahir Masood from Islamabad
- Killing Of Inspector Umar Mobeen Jilani and Yasir (Nephew of former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Tasaduq Hussain Jilani)
- Kidnapping of Mir Ali Haider Gillani From Multan
It is important to note here that some of these suspects may have been a part of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) at one point, before joining Islamic State.
On 14th January 2019, just four days before the Sahiwal incident, Pakistani special commandos killed Adeel Hafeez, one of the top members of IS in Pakistan, as well as Usman Haroon in a secret operation in Faisalabad. In the same operation, eight other IS members, including the deputy emir of IS in Punjab province Umar Hayat alias Master Imran, managed to escape unharmed.
Individual photo of Adeel Hafeez, one of the top members of IS in Pakistan
Individual photo of Usman Haroon, accomplice of Adeel Hafeez, who was also killed in the 14th Jan operation
Adeel Hafeez with silver Honda City car identified near Al-Noor travels in Sahiwal on 13 Jan 2019
In the above photo, deputy emir of IS Punjab, Adeel Hafeez, can be seen alongside a silver Honda City car with license plate number LE 7039. Same car with the same plate was used in terrorist attacks which targeted Inspector Umar, Inspector Yasir as well as other law enforcement officials. Both Inspector Umar and Inspector Yasir were killed in 2017. Additionally, both Adeel Hafeez and Usman Haroon were tracked to Faisalabad in the same silver Honda City car.
Same silver Honda City car identified near PTV booster Multan before killing of Inspector Umar
Same silver Honda City car escaping after killing of Inspector Yasir in Multan Cantt
When CTD officials seized the silver Honda City car following the 14 Jan operation in Faisalabad, they found the following items in the vehicle:
- 6 suicide jackets
- 24 grenades
- 2 AK-47 Rifles
- 0.5 kg high grade explosive
- Large quantity of bullets and detonators
Items found by CTD officials from the silver Honda City car
On 15 Jan, after seizing the vehicle, Pakistani CTD officials back-tracked the movement of the vehicle up to November 2018 through CCTV cameras installed in the Punjab province as part of government’s Safe City project. And then through various toll plaza footage the vehicle was tracked back to Lahore city.
By 17th Jan, the car was spotted by Lahore Safe City cameras that revealed the following:-
- On 13th January the same Honda City car was seen moving on Kacha Jail Road, Kot Lakhpat, and was escorted by a white Suzuki Alto car (license plate number LE 6683 )
- The Suzuki Alto was again spotted at about 1600 hours on Kacha Jail Road, Lahore
This white Suzuki Alto was the same vehicle which was intercepted by CTD officials on the highway near Sahiwal city on 19 Jan.
The suspicious movement of the Honda City car and the Suzuki Alto between Lahore and Sahiwal led the CTD officials to open an investigation into the white Alto.
Captures from various CCTV footage from across Lahore show the white Suzuki Alto traveling very close to the silver Honda City car
On 17 Jan 2019, the Suzuki Alto was found parked in a narrow street at Chungi Amar Sidhu, Lahore.
Mobile sim location of Adeel Hafeez was also traced back to same location (Chungi Amar Sidhu, Lahore) on 12 Jan 2019 before moving to Sahiwal
On 18 Jan 2019 at about 0930 hours, the white Suzuki Alto was spotted at Manga Mandi moving southwards. Footage indicated only two males sitting in the front along with heavy luggage in the rear.
Safe City footage at Manga Mandi (Lahore) on 18 Jan 2019
Given the history, CTD officials feared that after the 14 Jan counter-terrorism operation in Faisalabad which killed Adeel Hafeez and Usman Haroon, the remaining IS terrorists might be re-locating their hideout along with their weapons and suicide jackets.
Keeping in view the urgency of the situation, all field teams of CTD near the area were alerted and advised to intercept the white Alto vehicle with caution, due to likely presence of suicide jackets and weapons. A team of CTD Sahiwal identified and intercepted the vehicle on National Highway near Qadirabad, leading to the unfortunate incident on 19 Jan.
