ATTOCK, June 7: The arrest of Sardar Ameer Khan, the main absconding accused, involved in JUP-N general secretary’s killing, became complicated for Attock police after he took refuge with a local Sardar of Shikarpur district of Sindh, it has been learnt.

Now the matter comes under the joint jurisdiction of home departments of Punjab and Sindh, and without permission of both authorities, the Attock police cannot arrest the accused legally, police sources informed. Sources told Dawn that through mobile phone tracking system, the police investigation team has traced the location of the accused at the outskirts of Shikarpur district.

A police team led by SHO Attock city police station Inspector Muhammad Khan was dispatched to Shikarpur to arrest the accused. Attock police with the help of Sindh police have traced the location of Ameer Khan at Shikarpur, where he is in the protection refuge of a local influential Sardar, who is a cousin of a senior bureaucrat of Sindh, sources disclosed.

Therefore, the police feared that conducting raid for the arrest of accused will be dangerous due to possibility of clash, they disclosed. Initially the officials of Shikarpur and Attock police have tried to convince the Sardar to handover the accused voluntarily.

But they remained unsuccessful as the Sardar refused fearing that he might be killed by JUP-N activists, if he handed over the accused to Attock police. Sindh police have advised the Attock police to ensure arrest through proper channels by forwarding a request through the home department Punjab to home department Sindh.

This has placed the Attock Police in a quandary as they have been under severe pressure since Mr Mustafai killing on June 2.

Attock police have brought the situation to the notice of higher authorities of Punjab police as well as the home department so that permission is sought from the Sindh home department for the arrest.

The district police have also shared details with some of JUP-N local leaders to take them in confidence as they have threatened to stage protest, if the accused was not arrested. Owing to the facts, the JUP-N activists have postponed their scheduled protest at Pind Sultani village on Friday (today) apparently after Attock police informed them that they were making efforts to arrest the accused. When contacted, District Police Officer (DPO) Abdul Kadir Qamar has confirmed the report and said the accused escaped to Shikarpur district to avoid arrest and that a request has been forwarded to Home department Punjab to seek permission from Sindh government to arrest the accused.

When asked, the DPO did not disclose the exact location and name of Sardar, where the accused had taken refuge due to sensitivity of the matter.

7-ATA AMENDED: Basal police station have amended 7-ATA (Anti- Terrorism Act) in the FIR against the accused. Earlier, the police registered a murder and attempted murder case against the 28 persons, including Sardar Ameer for allegedly killing Mr Mustafai and injuring his three relatives over a land dispute. S o far 10 of the accused have been arrested by the police and remaining, including master mind Mr Ameer, are still at large. — Correspondent