October 9, 2003	Thursday	Sha’aban 12, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: Negligence of law-enforcement agencies has been proved in the assassination of Millat-i-Islamia (MI) chief Maulana Azam Tariq, sources in the interior ministry told Dawn on Wednesday.

The sources said it was quite difficult for the killers to commit such a heinous crime in broad daylight near Golra Chowk.

According to the police, a white colour Pajero van, which is believed to be used by the killers, was recovered from Sector I-8, about six to seven kilometre from the place of occurrence.

They said the place where the MI leader was ambushed was located a few yards away from the toll plaza where armed guards with mobile team remain present throughout the day.

Similarly, on the opposite lane at Golra Chowk, a police check post is situated where five to ten armed police personnel remain present throughout the day and they check every vehicle leaving Islamabad, the sources said.

They said after a distance of two kilometres from the toll plaza towards G-series sectors, another police check post was situated. “If the Pajero van recovered from sector I-8 was used in the crime then the assassins had covered a distance of six to seven kilometres and crossed three traffic signals on Kashmir Highway (from toll plaza to Peshawar More),” the sources said.

They said the Pajero van was hijacked by three unidentified gunmen from Sadiqabad, Rawalpindi, on September 10 and an FIR in this regard was registered with Sadiqabad police station.

“If the van was snatched by the outlaws and the case was registered, why the police of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were not informed about it through wireless system, and if the message had been circulated, then why the van was not checked by the police when it entered the capital territory,” the source said.