Lahore doctor arrested for firing at school buses

A grade-19 doctor accused of opening fire on two school buses in Lahore’s Cantonment area was arrested on Thursday morning.

The police say that at the time of the incident, one of the buses was carrying students.

The accused doctor has been identified as Dr Zulqernain Butt, who is reportedly serving as a senior consultant in the anaesthesia department of Services Hospital.

The initial investigation suggests that after the firing incident, the suspect picked up his children from home, dropped them at their school, and went straight to a private hospital located on Ferozepur Road, where he was doing a part-time job.

Initially, it was reported by a private media outlet that bullets were fired at a school bus in Lahore. However, no casualty or injury was reported as the students were not on board the vehicle.

The same report stated that shots were fired by a car rider who got annoyed at the school bus driver for blocking his way.

He fired two bullets at the bus in the South Garrison area of Lahore.

The police report also said that the incident was a result of a tiff between the two drivers.

A police team started conducting raids and successfully traced the suspect. The team recovered a 9mm pistol used in the shooting from a locker in the private hospital. It was reported that the suspect allegedly has a reputation for aggressive behaviour and unprovoked violence over minor inconveniences.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), a case has been registered against Dr. Butt under charges of anti-terrorism and attempted murder.

As per the details, the school buses were driving down Waqas Market on Bedian Road to pick up children. Meanwhile, a bus driver slowed down to take a U-turn while the suspect was repeatedly trying to overtake. This caused a collision between the car and the bus.

The driver, upset, took out a pistol and fired indiscriminately.

One of the bullets struck a bus tyre, and when the bus driver tried to confront him, the suspect allegedly fled the scene.

The driver informed the school administration, who then alerted law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Only a few hours later, the police located and arrested the suspect.