Peshawar and its outskirts saw widespread unrest as the news of assassination of chief of a pro-peace lashkar, Bazidkhel Qaumi Lashkar, Faheem-ur-Rehman, and three of his associates, under mysterious circumstances spread out and wide on Thursday.
The bullet-ridden dead bodies of Faheem and his friends, Altaf Bacha, Haji Niaz Muhammad and Rahim Lala, were found in a white coloured Prado on Ring Road near Dalazak Road Chowk in the outskirts of Peshawar on Wednesday morning around 7 am. Police officials claim that they were shot around 10-12 hours earlier. They also say that they were murdered at some other place and their bodies were shifted to this place later on. Police authorities have confirmed that two police officials were missing who were accompanying Faheem and his associates who were on a journey from Peshawar either to Islamabad or Thandyani, a tourist destination in Abbottabad. But through some highly placed sources, Pakistan Today has come to know that they made it neither to Islamabad nor Thandyani. They were instead picked up by some unknown persons in between Peshawar and Nowshehra.
Faheem, who has been a staunch supporter of peace, was no stranger to attempts at his life. He had already thwarted at least seven attempts on his life, the last being on June 12 in which two police guards were killed. The whole episode smells of something not being right as the news of his death had already reached his native village, Bazidkhel, a small village adjacent to Badhabher Town, by midnight while the police came to know about it almost seven hours later. What is even more astonishing is the fact that the vehicle in which their bodies were found was parked opposite to a police check post on the Ring Road, one of the busiest roads of the city.
His relatives have confirmed that Faheem’s and his aides’ contact with them terminated when they left Peshawar.
The higher-ups are not divulging in providing any information as to the circumstances leading to their deaths or who they suspect were involved in this heinous act. Still, many believe that it could be the work of someone close to him, someone they could trust enough to go with them without any struggle.
In the last five years, militants from both banned Lashkar-e-Islam and Tehreek-e-Taliban Dara Adam Khel chapter had failed in all seven attempts, including three suicide attacks, against him. Only the people known to him well could have done so in the well-protected areas of Peshawar.
Forensic and police experts say that Faheem and his aides were brutally tortured by the kidnappers. The experts believe that Faheem and his associates made hectic efforts to escape and resisted the torture during captivity.
Interestingly, police and civilian leaders have kept silent on this incident whereas on second day of Faheem’s death, activists of banned militant Lashkar-e-Islam have taken the responsibility of his and his associates’ murder and will release a video of his killing in a couple of days. Taking advantage of the situation, militants of the banned outfit have started terrorist activities in Bara Khyber agency.
Some experts believe that Faheem was made a “scapegoat” in a tug of war between various law enforcing agencies, engaged in the war on terrorism but who have their own objectives and goals to achieve, some of which don’t necessarily align with that of the other agencies. They safeguard their own interests through chiefs and commanders of traditional tribal peace lashkars and militant groups.