Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Group Captain Asim Tariq embraced Shahadat on Sunday after he was shot by a suspect while intervening to protect a woman being harassed near Shaheen Chowk on Islamabad’s Ninth Avenue, just metres from the PAF Headquarters. The suspect, identified as Saad Abbasi, was arrested by Islamabad police within nine hours of the incident.
According to police, the suspect, who worked with the woman at a departmental store in Islamabad, had offered her a ride but then attempted to take her to a different destination against her will. When the woman resisted, an altercation broke out. Group Captain Asim Tariq, who happened to be leaving his office nearby, witnessed the scene and stepped forward to help her. The suspect opened fire on the officer and fled.
Group Captain Asim Tariq later succumbed to his injuries. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Islamabad Inspector General Ali Nasir Rizvi announced the suspect’s arrest late Sunday night, crediting the swift response of eleven specialised teams who combed through footage from 275 safe city cameras and hundreds of private surveillance feeds, alongside digital and cellular tracking, to trace the accused. After fleeing the scene, the suspect had changed his shirt, switched off his phone, and attempted to leave the city. The IG also revealed that the suspect had previously committed a similar act against another woman, which had been settled privately without police involvement.
IG Rizvi paid tribute to the fallen officer, calling him a “true patriot” who did what any person of conscience would have done. The sacrifice of Group Captain Asim Tariq has moved the nation, serving as a powerful reminder that the soldiers of Pakistan are not only the guardians of its borders, but also of its honour.
