Militants responsible for Izzat, Alam’s death, says Iftikhar

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, June 07, 2009
Denies arrest of Sufi Muhammad

By Khalid Kheshgi

PESHAWAR: The NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has held Taliban militants responsible for the killing of two leaders of the defunct Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) and an officer of the Pakistan Army, who were being taken to Peshawar for investigation Saturday morning.

Addressing a press conference here at Officers Mess Saturday, the provincial minister, who is also official spokesperson for the NWFP government, contradicted the reports of the arrest of Maulana Sufi Muhammad and said the provincial government did not know anything about the whereabouts of Sufi Muhammad, adding, the top leaders of TNSM, who were also involved in the mediation process of peace agreement with the NWFP government, had received threats from the militants.

Mian Iftikhar said the security forces had arrested Maulana Muhammad Alam and Ameer Izzat Khan along with some terrorists some days back and were being shifted to Peshawar for investigation. On their way to Peshawar, the vehicle, carrying Ameer Izzat and Muhammad Alam, was blown up with a remote-controlled bomb in Sakhakot and was fired.

“In the wake of life threats to TNSM leadership, it is strongly believed that the militants had killed Ameer Izzat and Muhammad Alam,” he said and apprehended that such incidents might also happen in future.

The minister, who was actively involved in negotiations with the TNSM leaders for peace agreement, disclosed that Maulana Sufi Muhammad at a public gathering in Mingora had pledged to declare the violators of peace agreement as traitors and rebels after implementation of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, but he had changed his mind and stance after receiving life threats from the militants in the same gathering.

He claimed that one of the TNSM leaders was witnessed to these threats of militants to the mediators of peace agreement and Maulana Sufi Muhammad. In reply to a question, Mian Iftikhar said that militants had killed the TNSM leaders, who were in custody of the security forces, in order to put the blame on government on one hand and also instigate the general public on the other. He said militants had already lost the confidence of masses and wanted quick and effective operation against the militants in Malakand division.

“The operation could be made more effective if the top command of militants is eliminated at the earliest,” he added.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22596