A uniformed individual allegedly fired a shot into the air during a confrontation with protesters at a university’s Chattha Bakhtawar campus in Islamabad, where students had been demonstrating against the dismissal of a senior official and other university-related issues.
A video circulating on social media shows the uniformed man approaching a group of young men, reportedly students of the university’s SUSIT programme. He was accompanied by a woman believed to be a university official.
According to the footage, the man appeared to strike one of the individuals with a stick before exchanging heated words with the protesters. The situation then escalated into a physical altercation, with a crowd surrounding and apparently assaulting him.
The individual subsequently pulled out a pistol and pointed it towards the crowd. The woman accompanying him appeared to intervene and attempted to stop him. He then raised the weapon and allegedly fired a shot into the air, prompting several police officers to move in and surround him.
In another video, a senior Islamabad police official can be seen addressing the students and saying that the individual had been escorted out of the university premises by police.
The officer assured the students that strict and swift action would be taken against the individual under the relevant military disciplinary procedures.
Sources familiar with the matter said the Pakistan Army prioritises maintaining discipline and ensuring justice, adding that further action would be taken after the completion of an inquiry.
No official statement had been issued by the police, security forces or the university regarding the incident at the time of reporting.
