ISLAMABAD: The weekend home of Supreme Court Judge Ijazul Ahsan was hit by two bullets during a shooting incident, it has been revealed.
The Supreme Court confirmed that shots were fired at the Model Town residence, in the eastern city of Lahore, late on Saturday night and again early on Sunday morning.
Arab News obtained a copy of the police incident report, which states “a bullet had hit the upper collar of the main gate” of the building, and another was recovered “in the open corridor of the southern side of the house”.
Ahsan was part of the five-judge bench that disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from holding office in the high-profile Panama leaks case. He is also the monitoring Judge of the ongoing corruption trial against the Sharif family in the accountability court.
A team of law-enforcement officers, forensic specialists and intelligence officials has been assembled to investigate the shooting.
The Police Forensic Science Agency collected data, photographs, and evidence at the scene and a report will be compiled. Investigators will also search CCTV footage for clues.
Police have not named any suspects but a charge sheet for attempted murder has been filed against unknown gunmen under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
A preliminary report suggested the shots were fired from a nearby rooftop rather than the street in front of the house, but residents in the vicinity denied hearing gunfire. Investigators said it is possible they were stray bullets. Security has been beefed up around the Judge’s residence.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi “strongly condemned” the shooting and directed the authorities in the federal capital and Punjab province to make the apprehension of the culprits a priority.
The Army also condemned the incident and said: “All stakeholders should ensure a secure environment for the effective functioning of the state institutions and continue the efforts to consolidate improving peace and stability.”
Politicians across the country denounced the suspected targeting of the judge, including Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of the ousted premier, who called for immediate action to find the culprits.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, stepped in to prevent a strike by angry lawyers, after the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan called for the action in response to the shooting. It would have disrupted routine court hearings and delayed cases.
“This is not a small incident,” said former legal adviser to the Law Ministry, Advocate Sharafat Ali. He added: “We expect the police to do their job and reveal the facts.”
Ali, who has practiced criminal law, said the facts are still unclear given the early stage of the investigation, but added: “It’s strange that security-camera video hasn’t been made public, the security guards don’t know what happened, and there is no witness, currently.”
However, he said it is possible that “bringing the facts to fore could be damaging to the investigation, which could alert the criminals involved.”
He also considered it unlikely that Sharif’s political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, might be involved in the incident: “PML-N can’t be foolish enough to attempt this.”
