Soran Singh’s assassination: Police ‘close’ to cracking case

PTI’s district councillor from Swat among those questioned; alleged killer in custody

PESHAWAR/MINGORA:

Police on Sunday claimed to be close to apprehending the killers of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Special Assistant on Minorities Sardar Soran Singh after questioning six suspects, including the Swat district councillor of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in connection with his murder.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Malakand Division Azad Khan confirmed to The Express Tribune on Sunday that among the six people detained is Baldey Kumar, a minority member of the PTI from Barikot Tehsil and Swat’s district councillor.



On Friday, Singh was shot dead by unidentified assailants at his doorstep in the Pir Baba area of Buner after returning from a funeral.

DIG Azad said investigators are close to uncovering who was behind Singh’s assassination, adding that the police have spared no effort in searching for the murderers.

“We cannot share all the information at this point,” he said, adding “those who planned the attack may take advantage of any leaked information.”

Azad is expected to disclose further details surrounding the case during a news briefing in Peshawar today (Monday).

Apart from Kumar, a senior official in Buner told The Express Tribune that four people have been arrested in connection with the murder including two from Totalai in Khadukhel, one from Jangai, Mandar in Swabi and one from Pacha Kalay, Singh’s native town.



Buner DPO Khalid Hamdani had on Saturday confirmed that they had arrested Singh’s possible assassin, Yar Hussain, from Swabi district. During his interrogation, Hussain had allegedly confessed to killing Singh after receiving payment for carrying out the deed.

Meanwhile, a leading elder of K-P’s Sikh community has called upon the government to provide them with adequate security in the wake of Singh’s assassination. “I feel domestic and personal grudges were behind Singh’s assassination,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th,  2016.