Pakistan Army on Friday issued a statement on an alleged clash between troops and police personnel in Bahawalnagar district of Punjab earlier this week.

The military has called the incident unfortunate and announced a joint inquiry with police.

The Punjab government, soon after the announced by the military, said it had formed a joint inquiry team.

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the media arm of the military — also condemned “vitriolic propaganda” on social media.

ISPR statement

The statement said, “An unfortunate incident occurred in Bahawalnagar recently, which was promptly addressed and resolved through collaborative efforts of military and police authorities.

“Despite this, certain factions with vested motives started fanning vitriolic propaganda on social media to create divisions between state institutions and government departments.

“To ensure a fair and deliberate inquiry, and to determine responsibility for violation of laws and misuse of authority, a joint inquiry comprising security and police officials will be conducted for ascertaining the facts and apportioning responsibility.”

Earlier, the local police issued a statement that the issue had been resolved “amicably”.

On the first day of Eid, several social media users claimed that 40 to 50 army personnel stormed a police station of Bahawalnagar and beat up the policemen present there.

Other reports later said some of the police officers had illegally raided a house, beating women and holding people in unlawful confinement.

Police also registered an FIR over the illegal raid against some police personnel.

Punjab government

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Punjab government announced the formation of a joint inquiry team to investigate the Bhawalnagar incident.

The team will consist of officials from various security agencies, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Interior.

The purpose of the inquiry is to ascertain the facts and determine the individuals responsible for the incident, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further stated that no permission would be granted to propagandists and those spreading misinformation against the law enforcement agencies.