LAHORE: The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) on Thursday claimed to have arrested a member of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and commander of Harkatul Mujahideen who had kidnapped and killed Colonel Sultan Amir Tarrar alias Colonel Imam, a retired officer of the Inter-Services Intelligence, and retired squadron leader Khalid Khawaja.

The CIA identified the alleged arrested terrorist as Hafiz Sanaullah alias Qari Zarar, a notorious and hardened criminal besides infamous extortionist.

Terming the arrest of the TTP leader a major breakthrough, a police official told the media the CIA team had arrested Qari Zarar from the Lorry Adda on a tip-off. During interrogation, he made many revelations, saying he had kidnapped people for ransom from Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Sharing further details with the media, he said the alleged terrorist told the CIA that he would use hand grenades and other sophisticated weapons for his activities.

Qari Zarar confessed that in 2009, in connivance with TTP Punjabi wing, he had kidnapped Col Imam, Col Khalid Khawaja, Asad Qureshi, a journalist, and his employee. He and his accomplices took all the three to Waziristan where they killed both Col Imam and Khalid Khawaja. The TTP, however, released the journalist and his employee after getting Rs14m ransom from their families.

Quoting Qari Zarar, the police official said he had kidnapped Tariq from Islamabad in 2008 and set him free after getting Rs27m ransom from his family.

In 2001, he had abducted two officials of a sensitive agency from Balochistan for extortion. The TTP men killed one of them and released the other after receiving Rs10m.

Similarly, he, with his accomplices, had kidnapped six men of a non-government organisation for not paying extortion money. One of the abducted was killed and others were released after getting Rs17.5m from their families.

According to police official, Hafiz Sanaullah hails from Dera Ismail Khan and he got militant training from Waziristan and Afghanistan. In 1998, he was made Nazim of Harkatul Mujahideen and then commander in 2000. He had also been Nazim of central office of the banned organisation in Golra Sharif in 2005.

Qari Zarar was a close aide to emir of Harkatul Mujahideen, the police official said, adding the CIA expected more revelations from the arrested terrorist who was being questioned at an undisclosed place.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2015

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