ISLAMABAD: Three days after governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer was shot dead by one of his security guards, investigators have detained two people for their suspected links with the alleged assassin Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri.
Police believe Qadri had stayed with one of the suspects in Lahore a few days before killing Taseer. The second suspect is believed to have persuaded Qadri to kill Taseer for his statements against the blasphemy laws.
The arrests were made from Rawalpindi and Lahore, respectively, on the basis of Qadri’s cellphone record, sources told The Express Tribune.
Qadri insists that he killed Governor Taseer over his “blasphemous” statements, said officials close to the investigation process. He told investigators that it was his individual act and no political or religious group was involved in the planning.
However, investigators have clues indicating that Qadri might have been motivated by some religious group. “He is still sticking to his initial statement that he acted out of his love for the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),” said a source.
Meanwhile, a three member police team, led by Additional Inspector-General of Police Lahore Nasir Khan Durrani, visited the crime scene in Kohsar Market and examined the evidence collected by the investigators of Islamabad police.
The team has been mandated to inquire into any possible lapses in the security of Governor Taseer. So far, it has recorded the statements of police officials responsible for his security.
Sources said that the investigators could not find any evidence suggesting other guards in the security detail of Taseer had an inkling of Qadri’s plan.
“The notion that the guards did not shoot Qadri because they wanted to save evidence was unbelievable. In fact, they did not get enough time to react. A sub machinegun (SMG) clip is fired in 2.67 seconds,” said an official close to investigations.
The guards were not anticipating such an attack as they were used to the governor’s movement in marketplaces and cafes, the official said. “There is little possibility of involvement of other guards in the crime,” he added.
Earlier, Qadri was produced before a medical board on the orders of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi to examine him for alleged torture by police.
The seven-member medical board of the District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital Rawalpindi examined him on Thursday night at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Islamabad. The board will submit its report in the court on January 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2011.
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