ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The prime suspect in the murder of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Group Captain Asim Tariq has been sent to jail for a 14-day judicial remand to undergo an identification parade after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) approved the request of investigators.
The case was heard on Monday by ATC Judge Abual Hasanat Mohammad Zulqarnain, who ordered that suspect Saad Abbasi be transferred to jail for the identification process before being produced in court again on July 20. The murder case has been registered under charges of murder and serious provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act on the complaint of the Commandant of Air Headquarters.
Police produced Abbasi before the court under tight security, where the investigating officer informed the judge that the suspect needed to undergo an identification parade as part of the investigation.
Prosecutor Raja Naveed told the court that two eyewitnesses were also available in the case and would take part in the identification process.
During the proceedings, Judge Zulqarnain questioned the suspect about the fatal shooting.
"Why did you do this?" the judge asked.
Abbasi replied that he had been with a woman when another man approached and was "disturbing" them.
The judge responded: "Disturbing you? Were you doing something good that he disturbed you?"
Following the arguments, the court ordered the suspect's transfer to jail for the identification parade, directed investigators to submit a report once the process is completed, and fixed July 20 as the next hearing date.
According to Islamabad Police, Group Captain Asim Tariq was travelling along 9th Avenue when he noticed a woman getting off a motorcycle while its rider was allegedly pulling her by the hand. Acting to protect the woman, the PAF officer stopped his vehicle nearby. The woman then ran to the opposite side of his car.
Police said the suspect, later identified as Saad Abbasi, entered into an argument with Group Captain Tariq before opening fire. The officer sustained critical injuries and later embraced martyrdom, while the suspect fled the scene.
Authorities later revealed that the suspect and the woman had known each other for only a few days. According to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Nasir Rizvi, the suspect had picked her up from her residence on two previous occasions.
On the day of the incident, an argument reportedly began near Shaheen Chowk after the suspect attempted to persuade the woman to accompany him to a park or another location instead of her workplace. Police said she firmly refused.
The police chief added that the woman did not even know the suspect's residential address despite their brief acquaintance.
Addressing a press conference a day earlier, IGP Rizvi said the suspect was arrested following a coordinated operation that combined digital surveillance with conventional intelligence gathering.
To investigate the high-profile case, Islamabad Police constituted 11 specialised teams to trace the suspect after the shooting.
Investigators carried out an extensive review of technological evidence, analysing footage from 275 Safe City and privately installed CCTV cameras. Police also examined recordings from 137 digital video recorders (DVRs), which ultimately helped investigators identify and apprehend the suspect.