PESHAWAR: The family of slain Peshawar police officer Tahir Khan Dawar on Saturday rejected the formation of a joint investigation team to probe the murder.

SP Tahir, head of the provincial capital’s rural circle, was kidnapped in Islamabad on Oct 26, while his body was found in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on Tuesday.

On Friday, the administration of Islamabad notified the constitution of a six-member JIT to probe the kidnapping and murder of Tahir Khan.

ANP activists stage protests in KP against the killing

However, Ahmaduddin Dawar, brother of the slain officer, told reporters at his residence here that the family wasn’t satisfied with the JIT’s formation and therefore, it was rejected.

He said since his brother’s kidnapping and murder involved two countries, an international commission should be formed to investigate it. Also in the day, a large number of political leaders visited the Hayatabad house of the slain SP to offer fateha and condole with the family.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, opposition leader in the KP Assembly Akram Khan Durrani, PML-N leader Amir Muqam, former provincial governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan, PPP provincial president Humayun Khan and KP police chief Salahuddin Khan Mehsud met SP Tahir’s family members and condoled the death.

Police chief Salahuddin told reporters that the JIT should be given time to investigate the incident.

He said he won’t comment on the call for international probe into the murder as it was related to the federal government.

The police chief said the provincial police had rendered great sacrifices to ensure peace in the province and would continue striving for the purpose.

PkMAP leader Achakzai equated SP Tahir’s murder with Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s and said both incidents required international probe. “Brushing the killing of a brave solider under the carpet will be catastrophic,” he said.

Mr Achakzai said blaming foreign intelligence agencies for the murder was regrettable. He said Pashtuns didn’t favour the disintegration of Pakistan but at the same time, they weren’t ready to live as ‘second class’ citizens in the country.

KP opposition leader Durrani questioned the government’s writ and said the SP’s murder was related to the entire country.

He said the government should take the issue seriously as currently, no one was safe in the country.

ANP leader Aimal Wali said the murder of the police officer had raised many questions. He said Pashtuns were being killed in both the Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the ANP arranged protests against the killing of SP Tahir across the province.

In the provincial capital, senior ANP leaders led a demonstration outside the press club.

Senior party leader Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told protesters that the PTI government had miserably failed to protect public life.

He accused the federal and provincial security agencies of being involved in the murder saying SP Tahir was kidnapped in Islamabad, while his body was dumped in Afghanistan after murder under a plan.

Senior ANP leaders Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Aimal Wali, Sardar Babak and lawmakers also attended the protest.

The ANP workers also staged protests in Charsadda district against the killing of the police officer.

In Nowshera, too, the ANP activists demonstrated against the SP’s kidnapping and killing and declared the incident failure of the government’s writ. The protesters appealed to the Supreme Court chief justice to take a suo moto notice of the murder to ensure punishment of the perpetrators.

In Khar area of Bajaur tribal district, the ANP staged a protest against the murder. The protesters said the kidnappers would haven’t been able to shift the police officer to Afghanistan had the PTI government sprung into action soon after his abduction.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2018