ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: The recent murder of an Islamabad man in a land dispute has led to charges against a high-profile, influential individual, Imtiaz Khokhar.

While Khokhar had previously been charged with similar crimes in Rawalpindi, this is the first time he has been charged in Islamabad.

Also known as Taji, Khokhar is the uncle of Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the Prime Minister's adviser on human rights, and the brother of Nawaz Khokhar, a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

Taji has been charged under Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with the abetting of crimes, including murder. The case itself has been registered as a murder, under PPC 302.

Sub-inspector Arshad Ali is the investigating officer in the murder of Khalid Farooq, who was killed on Tuesday, allegedly by three men; a disagreement over land was the cause of the dispute.

The FIR states that the three accused killed Khalid Farooq on orders from their employer, Taji Khokhar.

Arshad Ali said that Taji Khokhar has been “on the run” since last August, when a similar murder case led to charges against him in Rawalpindi.

Arshad Ali told Dawn that the three accused were arrested late at night in Gangal, where they were hiding in a “dera” of Taji Khokhar's.

They have since been produced in court and taken into custody on physical remand. “We plan to ask them about Taji's whereabouts,” he said.

Sources in the police department, however, suggest that the late-night raid in Gangal was a farce staged to prevent similar raids in other “deras” near Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The accused may have in fact surrendered themselves willingly to the police.

The original complainant in the case, sources said, did not share any details with the police, hoping to avoid any sort of “revenge” or punishment from Khokhar.