Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) chairman Dr Umar Saif survived what’s being termed by the board’s media team a “targeted attack” recently, Daily Times Web Desk has learnt.

On the morning of Sunday, August 27, a sniper fired a shot into the office of Dr. Umar Saif. Since it was a holiday nobody was hurt in the incident. Dr. Saif himself was in the UAE, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dubai police for multiple information technology initiatives, some of which will go live this year. At 9:40am PST on August 28, Dr. Umar Saif himself took to Twitter to inform his followers – and the world – that he was safe and fine. His latest tweet is from 7am this morning.

The news was broken by Burhan Rasool, General Manager of the board, who posted a number of chilling images on his Facebook account, saying that the “bullet shell dropped a few inches away from his [Dr Umar Saif’s] chair (after hitting the ceiling).” Mr. Rasool also added that the sniper bullet was “diagonally shot from a lower position” but “precisely targeting Dr. Umar Saif’s office”.

According to another PITB official, the bullet pierced through the windowpane of LinkdIn office (no relation to LinkedIn) adjacent to PITB chief’s office, and then passed through the glass-wall of Saif’s office, hitting the ceiling and then closer to his chair. The official said there was no high-rise building nearby the office. “This was a threatening message”, he said, adding “it was not a coincidence that the bullet hit the Saif’s office in a 17-story building that had hundreds of other offices”. “There is no way that the bullet crashing in Dr Umar’s office of the many offices in the building is a coincidence”, said another PITB official. However, one questions the real motives of the sniper for taking the shot on a government holiday, and even more so, of not being aware of Dr. Saif’s schedule – had the sniper assassin really wanted him dead.

The PITB media manager said that the senior PITB staff had no additional information to share with the media, having reported the entire incident to the police, and will wait for the police to conduct their investigation and uncover clues and evidence that could point to the potential assassin as well as the motive. So far, the Punjab police have no leads; sources said that it remains unclear whether the bullet was a stray or a targeted shot, and that – as well as other details – will be revealed after forensic testing and analysis is concluded.

On multiple occasions, Dr. Saif says he has received threats multiple times, because PITB is helping the Punjab government automate its land records and police records. So, while many criminals and terrorists have been targeted and averted, the PITB official said that the “interests” of different departments were also “hampered” by the PITB’s information technology initiatives.

Indeed, automation and adoption of advanced information technology solutions will assist the Government of the Punjab in carrying out its duties – and being more sensitive to the public it must serve – but it can also jam a spanner in the works for many departments who rely on the outdated paper-based systems for “ulterior benefits”.

A source at PITB says it is too premature to determine who is behind the attack or what the exact motive of the attack might be. However, in an act of bravery, Dr Umar Saif is continuing his life normally, attending to his engagements and schedule without any interference. Caution would dictate that the PITB chairman, who is also a member of the Punjab cabinet, should be given additional security, but sources inside the PITB say that Dr. Saif will continue with the existing security protocol given to him, and has not asked for any additional security protocols or measures so far. Dr Saif himself was unavailable for comment to Daily Times, as his aide spoke of his busy schedule and another possible foreign trip which Dr. Saif was preparing for.

Seen as motivational force behind country’s IT scene, Dr Saif is all set to help kick-start nine startups valued at over US$ 70 million. His office is located at one of presumably safest buildings in Lahore, Arfa Karim Software Technology Park.

Published in Daily Times, August 30^th 2017.