HARIPUR: Haripur police claimed to have arrested a provincial lawmaker belonging to the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Gohar Nawaz Khan, and his nephew Babar Nawaz following the recovery of illegal weapons during raids conducted at their respective residences in Khalabat Township area on Friday.

Khalabat police, acting on a tip-off regarding the presence of illegal weapons and ammunition, conducted raids at the residences of MPA Gohar Nawaz and his nephew Babar Nawaz, who was also a candidate for PK-50 constituency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Police claimed to have recovered illegal arms and ammunition during the raids, following which a case was registered against the sitting legislator, his nephew and both were taken into police custody.

A similar raid was carried out at the residence of former tehsil nazim Iftikhar Ahmed Khan.

Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, a local PML-N leader was shot dead by an unidentified person in Ajman, United Arab Emirates in 2011. The former Nazim was also accused in the murder case of MPA Akhtar Nawaz Khan.

Police registered a case against Zulfikar Khan, the brother of the late nazim and arrested him.

Gohar Nawaz was elected as an independent MPA-elect from Haripur's PK-51 constituency during the 2013 polls and soon after had announced joining the Qaumi Watan Party.

He is the brother of MPA Akhtar Nawaz Khan who was killed on Sept 10, 2008 when he was returning from a funeral in the limits of Kalabat police station in Haripur.

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Akhtar Nawaz Khan had contested the 2008 elections as an independent candidate but later joined the Awami National Party (ANP). Gohar Nawaz Khan was included in the previous coalition government of KP after he won the by-election held on the seat left vacant by the death of his brother.

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Gohar is also one the lawmakers whom the QWP suspected had voted against its candidates during the Senate polls held last month.

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Earlier in 2011, a case was registered against the MPA, who was then affiliated with ANP and chairman of local District Development Advisory Committee, for allegedly thrashing a TMA employee and interfering in official work.

Gohar Nawaz Khan was also accused in the murder case of Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sher Azam Khan early in 2009. He had denied involvement in the killing.