KOHAT: Two of the six suspects arrested in the murder case of NGO worker Hina Shahnawaz recorded their statements in the local court here on Saturday and denied their involvement in the case.

The two, Zulfiqar Ali and constable Mosham Ali, were produced in the court of civil judge Shoaib Khan on the expiry of their physical remand. They told the court that they were falsely implicated in the case. Both the accused are cousins of the slain NGO worker.

They also denied the eyewitness statement of the victim’s sister, Mehreen, that they were part of any jirga which decided to kill her for doing job or were present at the crime scene.

The judge after hearing the arguments sent Zulfiqar and Mosham to prison. The other four suspects would be produced in the court on Monday (tomorrow).

32 ARRESTED: The Kohat police have arrested 32 suspicious people during an operation along the Indus River and in Shakardarra and recovered weapons from some of them.

The police launched the action early on Saturday morning in the district, including the highways. The police rounded up 30 suspects and two outsiders residing in the area in a rented house. The accused were shifted to police stations for interrogation.

The police seized one small machinegun, four shot guns, one 12-bore repeater, three rifles and 10 pistols and registered cases against the holders of illegal weapons.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and five others were injured when some attackers ambushed a passenger vehicle on Bannu Road on here Saturday.

The police said that according to FIR registered by wounded Mudassar, nephew of slain Gulfaraz, their enemies Zar Moin, Abbas and Sajid hailing from Hangu opened fire on the vehicle. As a result, his uncle Gulfaraz died on the spot. The Jarma police have registered the case.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2017