HARIPUR: The Hazara anti-terrorism court cancelled the pre-arrest bail of MPA Faisal Zaman in a double murder case here on Monday leading to his arrest on the court’s premises.

The independent lawmaker from PK-41 Haripur constituency was granted that bail by ATC judge Aurangzeb Khattak on Dec 14 until Jan 11.

Earlier, he had obtained a transit bail from the Multan bench of the Lahore High Court.

Malik Naveed Iqbal, younger brother of PTI provincial deputy general secretary Malik Tahir Iqbal, had accused MPA Faisal Zaman and 10 others of being involved in the killing of his brother as well as his friend and former councillor, Sardar Gul Nawaz, in a statement recorded by the court.

At the time of the lawmaker’s arrest by the counter-terrorism police, the relatives and supporters of slain PTI leader Malik Tahir shouted slogans for the Hazara police and CTD.

They demanded capital punishment for the accused.

Malik Tahir Iqbal and his friend Sardar Gul Nawaz had lost life after their car was ambushed near the remote Kotehra village in Ghazi tehsil on the night of Sept 13. The FIR was registered against unidentified gunmen.

The counter-terrorism department, which was tasked with investigating the double murder, picked up and interrogated several people, including some employees of MPA Faisal Zaman, during that period and produced Sher Zaman alias Sher Ghazi, the alleged hired assassin, before Abbottabad Civil Judge-IV Shahid Hameed on Dec 1.

The accused, according to police, recorded his confessional statement with the judge saying MPA Faisal Zaman had hired his services for the murder of Tahir Iqbal on the payment of Rs2 million.

Malik Adeel Iqbal, the younger brother of the slain PTI leader, also accused the MPA and 10 others of beinbg involved in the murder of his brother.

He told civil judge Shahid Hameed that 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 added that the lawmaker got his brother killed by Sher Zaman and others.

The MPA told reporters before appearing in the court that he wasn’t involved in the double murder and charges in that respect were baseless. He insisted that his political rivals had come up with the fake case to eliminate him.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2021