ISLAMABAD: The capital police arrested a member of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and recovered weapons and hate material from his possession.

The police said vigilance was mounted in Jhangi Syedan after receiving information about the presence of an SSP activist there. The police were informed that the suspect was an active member of the outlawed SSP and was trying to shift weapons and hate material from the area.

The police spotted the suspect while leaving the area along with the weapons and material and arrested him. Later, he was shifted to the Noon police station.

“Two Kalashnikovs with 493 rounds, a 9mm pistol with 98 rounds, 48 cartridges of 12-bore rifles along with cassettes containing hate speeches were recovered from him,” the police claimed, adding a Kalashnikov licence was also seized. The suspect was identified as Zahir Akhter alias Zahir Mavia.

During initial questioning, Zahir told the police that he joined the banned SSP in 1996 and since then had been its active member. He also allegedly participated in activities of banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) and helped its members.

The police said Zahir remained in jail for over four years. However, Zahir claimed that he was acquitted in the case.

DSP Mohammad Hussain Lassi, when contacted, confirmed the arrest and said the accused would be produced in court for obtaining his physical remand to interrogate him in other cases.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd , 2015

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