'SP Chaudhry Aslam's personal guard involved in attack on his house'

Arrested suspects confess guard was affiliated with banned milita­nt outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

KARACHI: The investigation into the assassination of Karachi’s iron man, SP Chaudhry Aslam, took an ugly turn when suspects arrested for involvement in his murder confessed that his personal security guard cum driver was affiliated with a militant group.

Four suspects were arrested and their sleeper cell chief killed during an encounter with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in a pre-dawn raid on Monday in Karachi’s Mehran Town area. During the initial course of investigation late Tuesday night, the suspects revealed SP Aslam’s personal security guard Muhammad Kamran had been affiliated with the banned sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).



The guard had helped LeJ in attacking Aslam’s house in Karachi’s DHA neighbourhood in September 2011, a CTD official said. The group paid Rs50 million to Kamran for helping them carry out an attack at his house, the official added quoting the suspects.

CTD in-charge Raja Umer Khattab confirmed the suspects' confessions. However, he said further investigations are underway and more information will be released after the claims are verified.

Kamran was killed along with SP Aslam in a bomb attack in January 2014.



However, reports quoting the suspects suggest that the bomb attack which claimed SP Aslam's life was not a suicide attack. The suspects have reportedly claimed, Kamran fitted a bomb in the top cop's car. "Another driver was supposed to drive the car that day but unforeseen events led Kamran to drive the car and he was also killed," a suspect was quoted as saying. These claims are yet to be verified.

SP Aslam, who was Crime Investigation Department’s Superintendent of Police (SP), was killed in a terrorist attack on the Lyari Expressway near Essa Nagri area on January 9, 2014. The banned militant outfit – Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility of the attack.