HARIPUR: A local court on Thursday ordered the arrest of MPA Faisal Zaman after the alleged killer of PTI provincial deputy general secretary Malik Tahir Iqbal and his friend Sardar Gul Nawaz claimed before it that he had committed the crime at the behest of the lawmaker.

The police conducted raids but failed to arrest Mr Zaman as he was in Peshawar to attend the assembly’s session.

The counter-terrorism department investigating the double murder had arrested the alleged killer, Sher Zaman.

The sources claimed that Sher Zaman of Battagram district confessed to the double murder during preliminary investigation and later recorded a statement in that respect before the judicial magistrate.

They said the accused had confessed that hegunned down the PTI leader after MPA Faisal Zaman promised to pay him Rs2 million for it.

The court ordered the arrest of the lawmaker.

A police party headed by DSP Ghazi Shahnawaz Khan and SHO Khalid Rehman along with a contingent of CTD police raided the MPA’s house in Mohallah Zamindaran, his hujra along the River Indus and the house of his cousin and former district nazim Adil Islam but failed to arrest the lawmaker.

The police sources said the MPA contacted the police over the phone and informed them that he wasin Peshawar to attend the assembly’s session and would cooperate with them regarding investigation.

He denied role in the double murder and claimed he was falselyimplicated in the case by rivals to settle scores.

Malik Tahir was assassinated with hisfriend and formercouncillor, Sardar Gul Nawaz, on Sept13 when they were on returning to Ghazi fromKotehra village after offering fateha for one of his supporters.

His family did not nominate anyone for the murder but declared the assassination of Malik Tahir politically-motivated one.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2020