E-Paper
Policeman at Zardari House injured
Constable Munir Ahmed was on duty at Zardari House when his rifle went off, resulting in two bullets hitting him in his leg and abdomen.
A policeman deployed outside PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's residence in Islamabad was injured when his rifle went off accidentally on Tuesday though the party claimed the incident appeared to be an "implied warning" to its leadership.
Constable Munir Ahmed was on duty at Zardari House when his rifle went off, resulting in two bullets hitting him in his leg and abdomen. He was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition.
In a statement, Pakistan Peoples Party secretary general Jahangir Bader expressed concern over the incident that occurred early on Tuesday morning.
He said the incident involving "an official gunman supposed to protect the life of Zardari appeared to be an implied warning to the PPP and its leadership".
Bader also said it was "intriguing that as an elected government was about to be inducted, there was a sudden increase in acts of violence and terror throughout the country". He added that the party's leadership "would not be intimidated by such acts".
"Those who plan such acts in the hope to browbeat must realise that the PPP workers and leaders are not made of wood that burns easily," he said.
The PPP also demanded a "thorough judicial probe" into the incident.
"Questions about the true nature of the firing incident, the background of the policeman involved, who chose him for the sensitive duty, whether the officer selecting the policeman for the duty had examined his dossiers, who had authorized him to keep a loaded gun ready to shoot at a moment's notice and what were his supervisors doing at the time of the incident are some of the questions that need to be answered," Bader said.
