Who is the killer?
By: Ashraf Javed
LAHORE – The Elite Force personnel, who assassinated Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer joined the security fleet of the top PPP leader from Rawalpindi, was very religious person, top police sources revealed Tuesday.
The sources further said Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri had been inducted in Rawalpindi Police in 2003. After receiving Elite Force training, he was serving in Rawalpindi as constable on VVIP’s security. He used to offer prayers five times a day. Before this, he never committed any crime and his service record is quite neat and clean.
He was never punished on the charges of corruption and misuse of power and his behaviour towards his officers was also very good.
The police sources while quoting his colleagues further said he was very kind towards his colleagues and neighbours. He was upset since the governor had been issuing anti-blasphemy laws statements.
“But the policeman neither discussed his ‘mission’ with his colleagues nor his family members. He was also a loving caring father,” a top police officer said.
“What he did today is quite unbelievable, unexpected and appalling,” he commented.
A Joint Investigations Team (JIT) comprising top police and intelligence officers are grilling the killer at an undisclosed location. The assassin had got special Elite Force training in 2008 and he was initially posted in the Special Branch. Before Tuesday, he remained on the security duty of the governor Punjab for six times.
Requesting anonymity, the officer said, “It is a murder case, purely committed by an individual and we don’t see any conspiracy in this regard.”
The police sources said some three days before the gruesome murder, Qadri was assigned the security duty of the governor as a routine matter.
They said the Punjab government had deployed special squads of Elite Force for Taseer’s security. But when the governor used to leave for the federal capital, he was provided security by Islamabad Police.
“This is purely a murder committed in the name of religion. The possibility of killer’s links with the banned terrorist outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) could not be ruled out,” the police sources said.
“But any assumption at this stage can be premature as investigation is underway,” the sources added.
The killer has confessed that he assassinated the governor in revenge as the PPP-leader had termed the blasphemy laws as ‘black’.
Reportedly, as the governor fell down on the ground, the killer threw down his gun, raised both hands and surrendered before his colleagues. Since his remarks, the governor had been facing threats from the religious parties, who held a strike last week against proposed changes to the blasphemy laws.
Following the assassination of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer by one of his security guards, the government has decided to deploy security officials for VVIPs after proper screening and monitoring.
Sources said that the top police officers deployed Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri on the security of the moderate and candid governor Punjab despite the fact that he (killer) was very religious man. “We will have to be careful. The officials in future will be deputed after complete scrutiny and screening,” a police source said.
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Who is the killer?
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