PESHAWAR: The counter-terrorism department on Tuesday placed the name of Provincial Disaster Management Authority assistant director Ihsanur Rehman Dawar on the list of most wanted fugitives announcing a bounty of Rs1 million for information leading to his arrest.

Mr Dawar, a former journalist and an author, is part of the list along with over 150 other proclaimed offenders. The profile shared by the CTD has incorrectly named him Ihsanullah Khan.

He, however, said his father’s name, home address and picture in the list were correct.

Mr Dawar told Dawn that he had been living in Peshawar since 2011 and had never even been to a police station or a court of law.

PDMA assistant director Dawar denies terror charge

“This is how our institutions are working. They have ruined my reputation,” he said.

He said that none of his family members had ever been linked to militants.

“We have suffered human and financial losses during militancy,” Mr Dawar said.

Meanwhile, the CTD claimed in a statement said the records showed that Ihsanullah Khan was nominated in an FIR registered by the CTD Bannu police station under sections 302 and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code and some sections under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, for attacking an army picket in Kharr Kamar area of North Waziristan tribal district on May, 5, 2019.

It added that owing to the suspect’s refusal to surrender before the court, he was declared a proclaimed offender (PO).

The CTD insisted that Rs1 million head money for Dawar was recommended by the district police officer of North Waziristan on June 8, 2021, while the bounty was “notified” by the home department on March 3, 2022.

“The notification of the home department is still in [the] field,” it said in the statement.

The department said that it had started a campaign in the province of issuing proclamations to the media against the POs, especially those with head money, to seek information about their possible whereabouts.

Meanwhile, the Miramshah Press Club flayed the CTD for putting the name of its “honorary member” on the most wanted list and announcing a reward for his arrest.

“Ihsanur Rehman Dawar is an honorary member of the Miramshah Press Club. He is currently working with the PDMA,” Miramshah Press Club president Safdar Dawarsaid in a statement.

On May 26, 2019, about 13 people were killed and more than 25 others were injured at a firing incident at Khar Kamar checkpost of North Waziristan district.

Nine people, including Ihsanullah Khan and the then MNAs, Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, were named in the case.

However, the lawmakers were acquitted by an anti-terrorism court of Bannu on October 14, 2020 after the withdrawal of the prosecution from the case.

However, the court declared seven other accused, including Ihsanullah Khan, proclaimed offenders.

The court issued an order reading, “Their [absconding accused’s] names be entered in the relevant register maintained for such purpose by the competent forum. However, perpetual warrants be issued against them.”

Both the court order and the FIR named the accused as Ihsanullah Khan. However, his parentage is missing from both documents.

North Waziristan correspondent Haji Pazir Gul contributed to this report.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2023