Ikramul Haq – son of Hafiz Sher Ali Khan, who was arrested along with two of his other sons, Izharul Haq and Irfanul Haq by the US law enforcement agencies on Saturday – is wanted by the Swat police since 2008 in multiple cases pertaining to terrorism, murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping for ransom.
Hafiz Sher Ali is the Imam at the Miami Mosque, also known as the Flagler Mosque, while Izhar is the prayer leader at the Jamaat Al-Mu’mineen Mosque in Margate in Florida. The other three charged indicted by the US on Saturday – Ali Rehman, Alamzeb and Amna Bibi – are living in Pakistan. Amna is Hafiz Sher’s daughter and Alamzeb is his grandson.
“Three of my maternal uncles, including Ikramul Haq, are with my grandfather in the US,” Alamzeb told Pakistan Today. He and his mother Amna contradicted all allegations leveled against them by US law enforcement agencies. Alamzeb, however, confirmed that Rehman was his grandfather’s friend from Mingwara in Swat and owned a shop in the area.
The US accused Rehman of receiving money from Hafiz Sher and later handing it over to Amna, who is accused of transmitting the money to the Taliban.
Although Alamzeb denies the allegations against him and his family, officials at the Kabal Police Station told Pakistan Today that Ikramul Haq was wanted in two cases registered in the Kabal Police Station in 2008. “The first case was registered against him on January 12, 2008 under sections 324, 353, 427, 120B, 124A, 512 PPC and 7ATA, and the second case was registered on October 22, 2008 under sections 302, 353, 120B, 364, 434, 3/4Explosives Act, 324, 148, 149, 404 and 7ATA,” they said, adding that the latter case pertains to an attack on a security forces’ convoy on October 21, 2008.
Police officials also confirmed that Ikram was associated with the Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) and later with the TTP headed by Mullah Fazalullah. They said that they were surprised to hear that Ikram had managed to reach the US despite being wanted in Pakistan in serious cases.
Are Pakistan's charges an afterthought following the arrest of these individuals in the US?
Talk about being proactive in countering terrorism!
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