LAHORE – Law enforcement agencies late on Thursday night arrested an activist of a banned outfit from Sabzazar area after screening the cellular phone records of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s murderer Mumtaz Qadri. Intelligence sources told Pakistan Today that investigators observed a suspicious text message after screening Qadri’s cellular phone records. Investigators found out that Qadri stayed with the activist just a few days before Taseer’s assassination. According to sources, the arrested suspect has close links with the outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) but it was not clear yet whether Qadri’s acted on his own or on LJ top leadership’s directions.
Two investigations are underway in Taseer’s assassination case. The primary is purely concerned with Qadri and his links with any banned outfit or political party while other side of investigation is concerned about security lapses. A member of the inquiry committee probing into loopholes in Taseer’s security said that investigation is underway and nothing could be said about the issue yet. He said that Rawalpindi Police are conducting primary investigations of the case.
Discussing security provided to VIPs, a Lahore Police official, seeking anonymity, said that police had provided 42 officials from the Elite Force on a permanent basis and it was up to Taseer’s security in-charge to use them. He said that while leaving for Islamabad, the former governor had returned the security of Lahore Police and went with the guards provided by the Rawalpindi Police. The official said that if Taseer had taken the security from Lahore Police with him, this tragic incident might not have happened.
After Taseer’s killing, the Lahore Police has started scrutiny of Elite Force officials deputed with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif and other Sharif family members. Punjab Senior Minister Raja Riaz has also requested the Punjab Police to scrutinise policemen, especially Elite Force officials, deputed for his security. According to Punjab Police data, around 600 to 700 Elite Force personnel are protecting the Sharif brothers and their family while 35 Elite Force personnel are protecting Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani’s family. Even after Taseer’s killing by an Elite Force official, around 878 Elite Force personnel out of 1,012 are performing duties with the VVIPs and VIPs.
