August 7, 2005	Sunday	Rajab 1, 1426

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MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 6: The AJK police will fight the murder case of a constable in every court of law even if his dependants strike a deal with the accused, senior police officials said here on Saturday.

The officials were replying to questions on the murder of Nazar Hussain, an AJK police constable, who was allegedly killed by Shahid Raza, brother of Punjab chief minister’s adviser Naeem Raza, and his companions in Bhimber district on July 10.

According to SP Bhimber, Mr Raza, MPA Amir Usman and their ten weapon-wielding companions and bodyguards had entered Bhimber district from Gujrat in two vehicles to attend a funeral. The police at Bharing checkpoint tried to intercept them but they did not stop, SP Sardar Gulfraz told Dawn.

Later at the funeral, the accused also exchanged hot words with the SHO of the Bhimber police station due to very reason but the people intervened and cooled down both the sides.

However, the SP said, on their way back the accused beat a constable at the same checkpoint and lobbed a grenade which luckily did not explode. In the meanwhile, constable Nazar Hussain came out of the trench and ran towards its rear side out of panic but was gunned down by the accused, he said.

The SP said that the AJK police had registered cases against 13 accused, including the MPA and adviser’s brother, after which several raids were conducted in Gujrat and Lahore to arrest them.

An AJK police party, he said, had also cordoned the adviser’s house in Lahore for three consecutive days, but could not get hold of anyone as all male members of the family had already left the house.

The accused, who had obtained interim bail from the AJK High Court on Aug 1, appeared before the district and sessions judge Bhimber on Friday who extended their bail till Monday when the case would be heard.

There were unconfirmed reports that the accused party had strike a deal with the deceased’s family, promising to provide Rs1.5 million and job in Europe to his son.

One of his sons had already been provided job in the AJK police by IGP Shahid Hasan besides moving the case for provision of Rs300,000 to his dependants.

“It was not an ordinary murder but a crime against the state and hence it could not be treated as an ordinary murder case,” Mr Hasan told Dawn.

The police would fight the case even if the dependants of the constable would strike some deal with the accused out of court, he said.

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