LAHORE: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali said on Friday that police officials who allowed Zamurd Khan to talk to Sikandar, a lone gunman who held the Islamabad hostage for five hours, would be suspended by tonight.
“It was a breach of security. Khan, despite his brave attempt, should not have been allowed to come close to Sikandar,” Nisar told a press conference in Lahore on Friday, adding the matter should have been left to security personnel.
The interior minister said that any mishap could have taken place during Zamurd Khan’s attempt as he could not grab the gunman. He said that Sikandar was hiding the weapons in bags of his children.
Nisar accepted responsibility for the delay in taking action against Sikandar and he had given orders not to shoot the man in front of his children as he was not holding hostage to anyone.
The minister said that the gunman was a drug addict and had no past criminal record. His wife was also an educated woman.
“I insisted that he should be captured alive and there should be no use of violence to take him down,” he said.
The interior minister also criticized media for its live coverage, which according to him delayed the operation.
