Nanga Parbat probe: Another suspected attacker arrested in Chilas

Number of accused arrested reaches three; police say more arrests to follow.

GILGIT:

The Gigit-Baltistan police on Thursday claimed they had arrested yet another person, believed to be involved in the killing of 10 foreign tourists and their Pakistani cook at Nanga Parbat base camp last month.

“The total number of the accused arrested so far is three,” said Deputy Inspector General Police Ali Sher on Thursday.

Last week, former chief secretary and inspector general Gilgit-Baltistan police disclosed the identities of the 16 people who had allegedly killed the tourists in an attack that is described as ‘unprecedented in G-B’s history’.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Shafiq, Abdul Malik and Omar, arrested from Chilas, the headquarters of Diamer valley.

“They are being investigated by a special investigation team,” he told The Express Tribune via phone.



Ali Sher said more arrests were likely to follow as the police and other law enforcing agencies had stepped up efforts to nab the accused.

Making his first official visit to the region, federal minister for Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs, Birjis Tahir handed over a check of Rs1 million to the family of the Pakistani cook, Ali Hussain, killed along with 10 foreign trekkers in the armed assault.

“One of his relatives would also be provided job in the G-B health department,” the federal minister told reporters in a press conference late Wednesday in Gilgit.

Tahir said terrorism would be eliminated from G-B and tourism would be promoted across the region. “Our tourism policy was in the making when the Nanga Parbat tragedy took place to deal a blow to our efforts,” he said, adding tourism would be revived at all costs.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2013.