KOHAT, July 25: The additional district and sessions judge-I, Kohat, has issued arrest warrants for former PML-N MNA Javed Ibrahim Paracha, who was charged along with former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in a murder case of an army major in 1995.

The other co-accused in the case are Mian Shahbaz Sharif, former senator Saifur Rehman and a local head of a criminal gang, Yousaf, alias Ghamu. The court, which issued the warrants on the directives of the Peshawar High Court, directed the complainant to approach the higher authorities for the arrest of the other accused who were in exile.

The accused were nominated in an FIR registered by the brother of the slain retired Major Khalid Saeed in the Janglekhel police station in 1995. No arrests had been made in the case.

In 1995, the victim’s brother Shahid Orakzai approached the Peshawar High Court with a complaint that although he had given names of the accused in the FIR, the then police administration refused to write their names and just mentioned them as political leaders belonging to a political party.

A fresh FIR was registered by the police on the directives of the PHC where all the accused were nominated by name, but even then no one was arrested.

The complainant after receiving the classified copy of the court order told Dawn on Friday that during the pursuance of the case, he had asked the Supreme Court to issue arrest warrants for the former prime minister and other accomplices nominated in the murder of his brother. He then moved the superior court not to allow the accused to leave the country as they were wanted in the murder case, but the government sent them into exile under a deal.

The major, who was also a religious scholar, was gunned down by unidentified assailants when he was going to bazar from his home in the KDA township.

The incident had happened few days after the major had challenged Javed Ibrahim Paracha for a debate on Quran and Sunnah. The latter had accepted his defeat, according to the major’s family sources.

However, independent sources alleged that a member of the family of the slain major had a money dispute with former senator Saifur Rehman and the major was assassinated by Mr Paracha at the behest of Mr Rehman.

Mr Paracha had survived four attempts on his life. He was targeted on two occasions when he was affiliated with the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam and supported the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba against Sipah-i-Mohammad in Kohat and Hangu districts, and Orakzai and Kurram agencies. In early 1990s, he was injured when an assailant fired two shots on him while he was sitting in his shop in the main bazaar in Kohat.

He narrowly escaped an attempt when he was elected MNA on PML ticket from Kohat in which his official car was completely destroyed when some gunmen opened indiscriminate firing on his car on Jarwanda road.

Mr Paracha had joined PML-N following serious differences with Maulana Fazlur Rehman which ended their 25 years of friendship.

Mr Paracha could not be contacted for comments as he was in Islamabad from where he was reportedly trying to get bail before arrest in the murder case.