A man has been arrested after allegedly firing shots near the vehicle of Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar in Lahore's Defence A area, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Sunday.
Police sources said the incident occurred late on Saturday night when a young man, identified as Osama, allegedly overtook the federal minister's vehicle before opening aerial fire.
The police sources said that no injuries or damage were reported in the incident.
According to police, the suspect was later arrested along with the weapon used in the firing near the vehicle of the minister.
Lahore police said that the vehicle driven by the accused has also been taken into custody as a part of the investigation.
Police sources said the suspect was traced and apprehended with the assistance of the Safe City Authority, which used advanced surveillance technology to identify and locate him.
The investigation is continuing to determine the circumstances and motive behind the incident.
Later, the minister, in a statement, said that by the grace of the Almighty Allah he was fine. “A youth had gone wild while celebrating the weekend. There is nothing more to that,” he said, adding he did not want to further comment on the incident, because it was not a serious issue.
On the other hand, Atta’s mother Sajida Tarar said that the purpose of youngster’s firing was not to target Atta.
“My son was returning home at 3:00 AM when he heard gunshots near his vehicle,” she said, adding that Atta chased the vehicle and reported the matter to the police.
“Police took prompt action and arrested the car’s driver,” she elaborated.
Sajida went on to say that the man was not in his senses and was completely unaware of the presence of the minister.
She informed that no guard was accompanying Atta at that time.
Initial investigation into the incident of firing that took place near the vehicle of Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar in Lahore last night has revealed that the man was an irresponsible citizen, with criminal past.
It has come to light that the man had been arrested in connection with a similar incident in the past as well.
Reporters: Awais Kiani and Abid Chaudhry