October 8, 2003	Wednesday	Sha’aban 11, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat said on Tuesday the two teams appointed by the government to probe into the assassination of Maulana Azam Tariq had found some valuable leads.

Talking to reporters in his chambers at the parliament house, he said that investigators were taking into consideration all possible angles and not just the sectarian aspect.

“There are many dimensions to this killing because Maulana Azam Tariq had also introduced the Shariat bill in the National Assembly,” he said.

One of the questions that troubled the investigators was that why the Maulana chose to travel in an official car instead of his twin cabin vehicle, he said.

In reply to a question, the minister said the two investigating teams had been appointed to focus on different aspects of the case.

The Inspector-General of Police Islamabad is leading one team, while the other is being headed by Brig Javaid Iqbal Cheema (retired), Director-General of the National Crisis Management Cell.

“We have engaged the best trained officers for the case while the assistance of the Punjab government has also been sought,” Faisal Saleh Hayat said.

The land cruiser used in the Maulana’s assassination had been recovered, he said, adding that the involvement of the foreign hand could not be ruled out. However, it was too early to say anything with certainty in this regard, the minister said.

“It will also be too early to fix responsibility on any organization when the preliminary investigations are still on,” he said.

He conceded that some of the known jihadi organizations had links with terrorism and their involvement in the incident could not be ruled out, but added that steps being taken to weed out terrorism would continue. “We will never allow anyone to impose his brand of Islam or philosophy upon the entire nation,” he observed.

About opposition’s demand to resign, Mr Hayat said he would never tender his resignation and questioned whether Benazir Bhutto had resigned when her real brother Murtaza Bhutto was killed during her premiership.

The minister described as unfortunate the acts of hooliganism and lawlessness in the federal capital following the incident, but said the reaction was expected because of high emotions.

He said he was grieved at the loss of five lives, one in Islamabad and four in Jhang.