RAWALPINDI: The police investigating the murder of Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) leader Maulana Samiul Haq have written a letter to his missing secretary, Syed Ahmed Shah, and sent it to his house, asking him to record his statement about what happened the day Samiul Haq was killed.

Mr Ahmed is considered the most important witness in the murder case.

The police have also recovered a knife thought to be the murder weapon from the crime scene, almost two weeks later, and sent it to a laboratory.

The police have collected samples for people who were supposed to be with the late JUI-S leader and sent them to the laboratory for DNA matching.

According to sources, investigators suspect that the murderer was alone.

The police found a bloodstained kurta from the crime scene which turned out not to be the former senator’s. The police are yet to establish who hung up the kurta in the bathroom.

According to a senior police investigator, Syed Ahmed Shah is not being treated as an eye witness but his written statement under section 161 of the CrPC has been vital in the murder case and needs to be recorded.

“The police investigating officer has legal authority to summon any witness and record their written statement or in some cases an account recorded on video may be used in the court of law as evidence,” he said.

He said Mr Shah should not have been allowed to go with the body by the police and that he should only have been allowed to go once his statement was recorded as he is the most important witness in the case.

Syed Ahmed Shah was staying with Maulana Samiul Haq in his Safari Villa in Bahria Town.

He said he had gone to get drinking water from a nearby filtration plant and locked the main gate from outside.

He said when he returned some time later, he found the gate open and the late JUI-S leader’s body in his room.

Sources said the police have been trying to contact Mr Shah’s family to join the murder investigation but he has been missing from his house in Akora Khattak for some days now.

When the Akora Khattak police was contacted, they said they had not received any complaint about Syed Ahmed Shah going missing.

The police have been questioning all those who had been in contact with Ahmed Shah or Maulana Samiul Haq during a specific period.

Four people were initially picked up by the police from Ratta Amral, Ghauri Town and other parts of the city for questioning.

Maulana Hamidul Haq, the son of the late senator, had said Mr Shah’s family has been trying to contact him but his phone remains switched off.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2018