Unclear circumstances: Committee formed to probe ANP leader’s death

The official added targeting women politicians was not the militants’ modus operandi.


Our Correspondents August 17, 2013
“We are investigating the case from every angle,” said a police official requesting anonymity. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

PESHAWAR:


Police have constituted a high-level committee to probe the murder of Awami National Party (ANP) activist Najma Hanif, who was gunned down inside her house in Phase 1, Hayatabad on Friday night.


An FIR has been registered against unidentified attackers as the family did not nominate anyone in the case. Police believe this was not an operation carried out by anti-state elements because militants do not usually target female politicians in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Moreover, the ANP is not currently in power.

Police officials explained there would be two teams working under the high-level committee, with one constituted of operation police and the other of investigation police.

“We are investigating the case from every angle,” said a police official requesting anonymity. “It is natural to suspect this may have been a case of terrorism, but after discussing the matter with family members we are also considering other possibilities.”

The official added targeting women politicians was not the militants’ modus operandi. “It is highly unlikely that a lesser known woman activist was targeted in this fashion,” he maintained.

“Najma was the second wife of the late Hanif Jadoon, and we have received information stating she was involved in a property dispute with some family members,” he revealed. However, the official also added this was just one of many angles being considered as part of the investigation. “The situation will become clearer after the case is investigated thoroughly.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan condemned Najma’s killing and ordered the provincial government to carry out an inquiry into the incident.

In a statement issued by the PTI’s provincial media cell on Saturday, Imran ordered the K-P government to conduct an in-depth investigation. The PTI chairman also directed provincial authorities to apprehend those responsible for the activist’s death.

On the other hand, ANP central leader Asfandyar Wali Khan in his condolence message praised Najma for her sacrifices and called her “a brave leader of the party.”

“We salute the sacrifices made by Najma Hanif and her husband shaheed Hanif Khan Jadoon. Such valuable assets are born once in centuries,” the statement added.

Earlier, in November 2011, Najma’s husband Hanif Khan Jadoon, a former ANP tehsil nazim, was killed in a suicide attack along with his son in Swabi.

Najma Hanif was laid to rest in her ancestral graveyard in Gadoon at 10am. ANP leaders and district officials were present at the funeral, which took place amid tight security. She is survived by her only son.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2013.

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