Jawad Qamar, an SSP-rank officer of Counter Terrorism Department who was named in Sahiwal killings case, was awarded with Sitara-e-Shujaat on March 23, it emerged on Saturday.

According to media reports, the President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, presented him the award in recognition of his “extraordinary courage and bravery” shown while fighting against terrorism and sectarian outfits in Punjab.

In January, 2019, CTD personnel killed four people in Sahiwal when they were travelling in a car in which total seven people were present — a family of six and a driver. Three minors had survived the incident.

The CTD disclosed that they had carried out the shootings after suspecting them (the victims) as terrorists. However, later on an investigation found that the SSP had ordered the killings.

Subsequently, the Punjab government held the CTD responsible and terminated some top CTD officials while ordering the trial of the six personnel in an anti-terrorism court. The court later acquitted all of them by giving them a benefit of doubt in October, 2019.

Also read: Two years of Sahiwal Killings

It was reported that the SSP along with the DSP had only been suspended by the provincial government.

Sitara-e-Shujaat is the second highest civil award for bravery. Qamar is the one of the four living souls who received the award out of its total 24 recipients.