An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday ordered the judicial remand of suspect Saad Abbasi for 14 days to facilitate an identification parade in connection with the murder of Pakistan Air Force Group Captain Asim Tariq.
ATC Judge Abual Hasanat Mohammad Zulqarnain presided over the hearing of the case filed by Islamabad Police against Abbasi. The PAF officer was killed after intervening to protect a woman from an attempted abduction on 9th Avenue, police stated on Sunday.
Group Captain Asim Tariq was traveling along 9th Avenue when he witnessed a woman dismounting a motorcycle while the rider was forcibly pulling her hand. Taking action as a concerned citizen, he stopped near the motorcycle, prompting the woman to run to the opposite side of his vehicle. The suspect, identified as Saad Abbasi, then engaged in an argument with the officer before opening fire. The officer later died from his injuries, while the suspect escaped the scene.
During Monday’s hearing, the investigating officer requested the court to send the suspect for an identification parade. Prosecutor Raja Naveed informed the court that two eyewitnesses had also been identified in the case.
When questioned by Judge Zulqarnain, Abbasi claimed, “I was with a girl, and a man came and was disturbing us.” The judge retorted, “Disturbing you? Were you doing something good that he disturbed you?”
The court subsequently placed Abbasi in judicial custody for 14 days to complete the identification parade and ordered his production before the court on July 20.
In a significant development the previous day, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Nasir Rizvi revealed that the suspect was apprehended through a coordinated operation combining digital surveillance and physical intelligence. The IGP noted that the suspect had previously picked up the woman from her residence twice.
On the day of the incident, a confrontation occurred near Shaheen Chowk when the suspect tried to coerce the woman into accompanying him to a park or another location instead of her workplace, which she refused firmly. IGP Rizvi added that their acquaintance had lasted only a few days, and the woman did not know the suspect’s residential address.
To solve this high-profile case, the police chief formed 11 specialized teams dedicated to tracking the assailant. The breakthrough came after meticulous analysis of technological data, including footage from 275 Safe City and private CCTV cameras and recordings from 137 digital video recorders (DVRs).
