KOHAT, Dec 5: An army commission constituted to investigate the killing of seven guards by the Al Qaeda members during their shifting from Parachinar to Kohat prison in last December has suspended two officials.

The commission accused the two of not taking proper security measures which would have averted the incident, it was learnt on Thursday.

A departmental inquiry, however, is yet to take a decision whether to terminate the services of these two officers.

The concerned officers submitted that they were just obeying the orders from the higher authorities who had made the arrangements in a hurry.

The political agent of the Kurram Agency, who himself was the primary accused in the army inquiry but was later absolved of all charges, is heading the departmental inquiry.

“The inquiries have yet to find something concrete against us and failed to frame charges against the Al Qaeda members involved in the murder of seven government servants,” one of the two officials said.

The whole area, he said, was under the command of the military authorities who had ordered the shifting of Al Qaeda members and made security arrangements for the purpose.

He said the army commission had failed to punish the real people — the political agent and the army in charge of the operation — who had ordered the transportation in a single trip, in a hurry and that too without proper security escort.

On Dec 19, last year some Al Qaeda members who had crossed into Pakistan had tried to escape from a bus when they were being transported to Kohat. They snatched guns from the guards and disappeared into the mountains. During the chase, 17 people were killed, including seven guards.