LAHORE, Jan 13: Police have so far made “no effort” to arrest a senior officer of an intelligence agency who has allegedly abetted in the murder of additional advocate-general Arif Bhinder and six others, official sources privy to the investigation informed Dawn on Saturday.

The AAG, his younger brother and Ferozwala tehsil municipal officer Kashif Bhinder, minor nephew Muhammad Wasim, private body guard Akbar Ali, three police guards were gunned down at Waris Road on Friday morning.

The sources said that the accused SP posted in Islamabad had been booked under section 109\114 (abetment to crime). They said that the police high-ups were still considering whether to approach the head of the intelligence agency for approval to include him in investigation or dare to risk arresting him on their own. The SP in question is also the brother-in-law of the main accused, Malik Zahid alias Zahdu, who was also killed in Friday’s crossfire.

“No police team has been sent so far to Islamabad for the arrest of the accused,” they confirmed, adding that the main focus of the investigation teams had been to hunt the other nominated accused.

It is pertinent to mention that the chief minister has directed the force to ensure the arrest of the accused at earliest by utilising all resources.

“Though the police have taken a number of people into custody, none of the 10 people nominated in the FIR has been arrested so far”, they said.

CCPO Khawaja Khaid Farooq constituted two special teams headed by DIG (Investigation) Azam Joya for the arrest of the accused. Mr Joya was not available for comments.

Political rivalry, which has been a reason behind the gruesome incident, began between Arif Bhinder and Zahdu a few years back when former was elected UC nazim from Khokar Pind (Ravi Town area) after defeating the candidate backed by the latter.

Arif Bhindar resigned from the nazimship when he got the AAG office. Bhinder had already survived two attempts on his life. Zahdu was declared proclaimed offender in one such case but the police reportedly had not been making serious efforts to arrest him. “Had he been arrested in time, this tragic incident might have been averted,” a senior lawyer said while talking to this reporter on Saturday.

Bhinder had shifted from Khokhar Pind to Golding Road, near Waris Road after attempts on his life. He was also reportedly planning to settle abroad but it could not be materialised.

Police said Zahdu carried out the fresh attack in sheer desperation after the AAG foiled his efforts to plead the case registered against him and his relatives on the charge of earlier attacks.

Bhinder’s two younger brothers have already died, with one of them murdered, sometime back. His two surviving brothers are reported to be staying in the Pind. Local lawyers who visited the village on Saturday had concerns over their safety too.

Meanwhile, the body of Zahdu is lying in the mortuary and nobody from his family has turned up to claim it. A heavy contingent of police remained present in Khokhar Pind on Saturday.