QUETTA: The central leader of Awami National Party (ANP) and provincial president of National Lawyers’ Forum, Advocate Arbab Ghulam Kasi, was found dead in Kuchlak area, some 25 kilometres from the provincial capital, on Quetta-Chaman Highway, on Tuesday night.

Officials said the body of the ANP leader was found in an abandoned area of Killi Sheikh Jamal Atozai in a mysterious condition.

The people of the area spotted the body and informed the Kuchlak police about the presence of the body.

After receiving the information, police rushed to the area and took the body of the ANP leader into custody and shifted it to Quetta Civil Hospital.

“The body was lying near an abandoned gas station while a pistol was also found near the body of the ANP leader,” Abid Mengal, a senior police officer, said.

Hospital sources said the deceased suffered a bullet injury close to his ear that proved fatal.

Police officials were in a fix over the cause of the ANP leader’s death, saying that “it seems to be a case of suicide”.

However, family sources said it was not a suicide case and told police that Arbab Ghulam Kasi left the house around 4pm, saying he was going to Quetta.

“Arbab Ghulam Kasi cannot commit suicide,” the family members told police. They said that Arbab Ghulam Kasi was receiving threats from unknown people.

“We are investigating the incident and will reach a conclusion after completing the investigation,” a police officer told Dawn, adding that the body of the ANP leader had been handed over to his family members and party leaders.

Arbab Ghulam Kasi is the second ANP leader who was killed in Kuchlak area.

Two years ago, another senior leader of ANP, Obaidullah Kasi, was killed by unknown armed men after kidnapping him and his body was found in the Kuchlak area. Mr Obaidullah Kasi was a close relative of Arbab Ghulam Kasi.

Meanwhile, ANP’s provincial president Muhammad Asghar Achakzai and other party leaders have strongly condemned the killing of Mr Kasi and demanded immediate arrest of his killers.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023