QUETTA: An ‘anti-Afghan Taliban’ former police officer was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the provincial capital, police said on Monday.

Police officials said the incident took place on Sunday in The Eastern Bypass area.

The gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on Abdul Samad Achakzai who was riding a motorbike along with his brother.

“Abdul Samad Achakzai suffered multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot, while his brother remained unhurt. However, one passerby suffered a bullet injury,” Manzoor Ahmed, a senior police officer of the area, said, adding that soon after the incident police reached the area and took the body and the injured to Civil Hospital.

Samad Achakzai was a police commander in the previous Ashraf Ghani government in Kabul.

A former adviser to former Afghan president Ghani on public affairs, Akhtar Muhammad Badezai, on his Facebook page confirmed that Achakzai was a police commander and served as deputy commander in Panjvai district of Kandahar province till the Afghan Taliban captured Kabul in August last year.

Achakzai also served as police commander in Urazgan province. He was a close relative of General Abdul Raziq Achakzai, who was the chief of Kandahar border police.

The former Afghan police officer, after the fall of the Ghani government, escaped from Kandahar and moved to Quetta. According to police, his brother has an Afghan refugee card, but Achakzai was living with him illegally as he had no residency documents.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.