HARIPUR: The family of PTI leader Malik Tahir Iqbal, who was killed along with friend Sardar Gul Nawaz in Ghazi tehsil on Sept 13, has named PK-42 MPA Faisal Zaman and nine others for the double murder.

Malik Adeel Iqbal told Abbottabad civil judge Shahid Hameed that Faisal Zaman suspected that his brother Malik Tahir was involved in his ouster from the PTI on horse-trading charge as well as the challenging of his election over fake degree allegation.

He said the lawmaker got his brother killed by Sher Zaman and others.

The accused, Sher Zaman, has already claimed on record that he was hired by MPA Faisal Zaman for the murder against the payment of Rs2 million. He was arrested by the counter-terrorism department.

Also on Monday, Gul Nawaz’s brother, Sardar Gulfraz, appeared before the court and claimed that the MPA and nine others were involved in the murder.

Meanwhile, the police said they didn’t arrest the lawmaker as he had secured transit bail in the case from the Islamabad High Court until Dec 10.

They said the MPA had insisted in the bail plea that he was elected in 2018 as an independent candidate and was pressured to join the ruling PTI but when he resisted the pressure, the PTI men plotted to implicate him in the Malik Tahir murder case.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2020