Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz took notice of the murder incident of Secretary Punjab Bar Council Ashraf Rahi in the area of Badami Bagh and sought a report from CCPO Lahore.CM ordered to ensure early arrest of the accused and further action should be taken after bringing the accused in the stern grip of law.Hamza Shahbaz directed to provide justice to the heirs of the murdered at all costs.CM expressed his heartfelt sympathy and sorrow with the family members of the slain Ashraf Rahi and assured them provision of justice at the earliest.
Meanwhile, unidentified armed assailants murdered an official of the Punjab Bar Council late Saturday night. The official’s family initially protested the police’s refusal to release his body until they were convinced to allow the medico-legal procedure to proceed.
Police officials said 50-year-old Muhammad Ashraf, the administrative secretary of the Punjab Bar Council, was heading home in his car early Sunday morning when unidentified armed assailants fired on his car near Badami Bagh. As a result, Ashraf sustained bullet wounds to his head and neck, causing immediate death. As he lost consciousness, he could no longer control the car which veered off the road and crashed into a wall.
The assailants were able to flee away successfully after committing the crime. Soon after the incident, police arrived and supervised as the body was moved to a hospital for postmortem and other medico-legal formalities.
Hospital staff said Ashraf received a bullet wound on the neck that killed him instantly. Ashraf’s brother, Mahmood, told SAMAA TV that they did not have enmity with anyone. Ashraf’s family, however, did not wish to conduct an autopsy on their brother and protested against the police for refusing to release Ashraf’s body. They also burnt tyres as part of their protest. However, senior police officials managed to convince the family to allow an autopsy of Ahsraf’s body to get him justice. Subsequently, Ashraf’s body was shifted to a hospital morgue. DIG Operations Sohail Chaudhry took notice of the incident and sought a report from the relevant police officials. Later, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz took notice of the incident. He directed the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) to submit a report on the incident. Hamza further directed the police to ensure that the culprits are traced and arrested at the earliest. “We must provide justice to the heirs of the victim at all costs,” Hamza said.
