Dec 07, 2015
RAWALPINDI: The Saddar Bairuni police on Sunday arrested 12 persons, including a prime suspect, allegedly involved in the murder of the nephew of former Punjab law minister Muhammad Basharat Raja.
The police arrested Jan Nisar alias Saleem Numbardar, father of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Asad Mahmood.
The police had booked him and his two sons in the murder of Shoaib Iqbal Raja, on the complaint of his elder brother, Shuja Iqbal Raja.
Police have also launched a manhunt for the candidate and his younger brother, Ikhlaq Mahmood.
Inspector Yar Muhammad, SHO of the Saddar police station, said that 12 suspected attackers had been rounded up during the last 24 hours. Further raids were under way to arrest the remaining suspects, he added.
The police on Saturday registered a murder and terrorism case against the nominated persons including PML-N candidate for chairman of Dhamial’s union council 86 for killing Shoab Iqbal.
He was gunned down when the candidate intervened to settle a dispute at a women’s polling booth during the local government elections in Rawalpindi.
His efforts were said to be interrupted when Ikhlaq Mehmood along with a number of his supporters clashed with supporters of independent candidate Raja Moeen Sultan.
Shuja told the police that the incident happened when Mehmood started abusing women supporters of Sultan.
When Shoaib asked him not to do so, Mehmood and his supporters started to quarrel with him, he claimed. During the clash, Mehmood shot at Shoaib in the head at close range.
Shuja said that Mehmood had earlier threatened to kill him during their verbal exchange.
He said the bullet hit his brother’s head from the right side, while the gun shot fired by Asad Mehmood hit Sikander’s leg, while Jan Nisar attacked Asif Ali Butt and Riaz with a baton that caused them injuries.
He added that the incident caused panic at the polling station premises, with people narrowly escaping the gunfire.
Shoaib, a British citizen, was scheduled to return to the UK along with his wife and three sons on Sunday. He was laid to rest at their family graveyard in Dhamial. A large number of people including parliamentarians attended the funeral prayer.
It is pertinent to mention that the Saddar Berooni police had registered a criminal case against Asad Mahmood on November 9 for attacking policemen at a check-post on Dhamial Road.
(Tribune)
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