RAWALPINDI, Aug 4: The city police have placed the names of top militant commander Baitullah Mehsud and four of his associates on a list of 15 most wanted proclaimed offenders (POs) for determining head money on them, Dawn leant on Monday.

The list was prepared on the instructions of the Punjab government, an official privy to the development told this reporter on the condition of anonymity.

The official said the Rawalpindi police had proposed head money ranging between Rs1 and Rs5 million on the 15 POs who were desperately wanted by the police in different cases.

Baitullah Mehsud and his associates are allegedly involved in the December 27 assassination of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

The four aides of Mehsud were Ikramullah from South Waziristan, Abdur Rehman, Abdullah alias Saddam from Mohmand Agency, and Faiz Mohammad alias Kaskat a native of Swabi having links to the Madressah Haqqania in Akora Khattak.

The official said Rs5 million head money had been proposed for each of the five high-profile offenders, while Rs1 million each for the rest, who were wanted for their involvement in heinous crimes like murders and robberies.

The Punjab government will finally decide the head money, the official concluded.