Failed pursuit: Catch him if you can

MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan manages to escape within hours of his arrest.

ISLAMABAD:

An opposition lawmaker again proved that he is more powerful than the law by managing to escape from the custody of police within hours of his arrest on Friday.

The lawmaker who is facing multi-billion land scam charges got freed from police custody within hours of his arrest by 30 armed men. The armed men laid siege to Shalimar Police Station and forcibly freed MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan from police custody. He was being brought to the lock up after his arrest from near Khanna Pul in the outskirts of the capital city.

Khan’s men resorted to gunshots in the air and protested against his arrest. A police official said they let go off the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) parliamentarian fearing that retaliation from police could put his life in danger. He was not pursued by the policemen after his escape. However, six of the men protesting outside the police station were arrested.

Taking notice of the incident Interior Minister Rehman Malik ordered suspension and arrest of the Margalla police station’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Nadeem Hussain and the Shalimar police station’s SHO Fayyaz Tanoli. He also ordered constituting of a judicial commission to probe the incident.

He also ordered the police to arrest the MNA and all others involved in the attack on the police as early as possible.

MNA Khan had got bail before arrest from a court in the Rs6 billion embezzlement in National Police Foundation (NPF) land. However, police arrested him in another land scam case registered against him at the Shalimar Police Station in 2010. He managed to escape arrest on the first of this month when the Shalimar police raided
his place.

Later, the MNA went into hiding and resurfaced only after obtaining bail from the court.

In a press conference a few days ago, he demanded a judicial commission to probe the NPF land scam claiming he would prove his innocence before the commission.

“We received information from our sources that he was hiding near Khanna Pul area near the airport on the outskirts of the Islamabad. We raided his hideout and arrested him,” said a police official. Warrants had already been issued for his arrest in case No 115 registered against him in 2010, however he could not be arrested earlier “due to political influences” said an official of police, requesting anonymity.

Khan was wanted by the FIA for investigation into the
NPF case.

He had been summoned by the FIA officials for questioning on Thursday but he did not turn up.

Earlier, there were reports that Pakistan People’s Party leader Zamurd Khan was sheltering Khan and had assured police that he would be produced for questioning soon. However, both the Khans backed out of their commitment made with high ups of police by obtaining bail-before-arrest and the police decided to arrest him in another case.

Sources in the police department told The Express Tribune that the PML-N lawmaker had sought refuge from Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) Chairperson Zamurd Khan who was ready to extend full support to him. He, however, dodged the query by The Express Tribune  over his alleged role in giving shelter to Khan.

Sources in police confirmed that the PBM chairperson was influencing the case. “I am not certain if Aqeel was hiding at his place but he had definitely asked police high ups to not arrest him,” said a police official on condition of anonymity.

The MNA had approached the PBM chief after he was reportedly turned away by his own party. The sources further claimed that the realtor MNA was so “disappointed” at his party’s response that he might join PPP before next general elections.

The MNA is accused of embezzling nearly Rs6 billion worth of land that he acquired for the National Police Bureau through his unregistered firm Land Linkers in connivance with then officers of the NPF, Mohammad Amin and Iftikhar Ahmad, former Managing Directors, Laeeq Ahmad, former director housing and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2011.