“Unfortunately, two bullets hit the driver."
A Pakistani man was killed by police after they reportedly opened fire on his vehicle in Islamabad.
In the early hours of January 2, 2021, Usama Nadeem, aged 21, was driving home after dropping off a friend when the incident happened near G-10 Srinagar Highway.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Police received a tip-off about an attempted robbery in Shamas Colony.
According to police, Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) officials arrived at the scene and followed a suspicious “vehicle with tinted windows”.
Police said that they asked the driver (Usama) to pull over but when their requests were not heard, they gave chase.
Officials said that the pursuing officers then shot at the vehicle’s tyres, however, Usama was hit by the gunfire.
A police spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, two bullets hit the driver.”
Usama died at the scene.
While police say the driver ignored requests to stop, citizens are outraged at the shooting.
Students protested outside the National Press Club on January 3, 2021, calling for action to be taken against the five officers involved.
Relatives of the Pakistani man also joined in with the protests.
Although a spokesperson said that two bullets accidentally hit Usama, a post-mortem revealed that the deceased was actually shot six times.
He suffered gunshot wounds to his chest, arm and head.
Waqas Khawaja, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, also said that the shots were fired from in front of the man.
Meanwhile, Usama’s father has alleged that the killing was deliberate, saying that approximately 16 bullet holes were present on the car’s body but none were on the tyres.
Chief Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmed ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged killing of Usama.
He directed Additional District Magistrate Rana Muhammad Waqas Anwar to probe the incident and submit a detailed report.
Inspector-General Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan took notice and formed a team to investigate the incident.
Five officers were named in the FIR and were subsequently arrested.
They were identified as Mudassar Mukhtar, Shakeel Ahmed, Saeed Ahmed, Muhammad Mustafa and Iftekhar.
On January 3, 2021, the five officers were produced before Judicial Magistrate Naveed Khan.
Police sought a five-day remand for the suspects but the court instead approved a three-day physical remand at Ramna Police Station.
While the officers remain in custody, Usama’s parents have appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure a fair investigation into the death of their son.
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