Islamabad standoff: Sikandar raised funds for banned outfits, say police

IGP says the gunman received militancy training in 1996 in AJK.

ISLAMABAD:

The capital police chief on Monday revealed that the gunman involved in the recent Islamabad standoff had raised funds for banned outfits and received militancy training in 1996 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Speaking at a press conference, the IGP said that Sikandar received militancy training in 1996 and left for Dubai where he raised funds for banned outfits. However, the IGP claimed that it has yet to establish which outfit he was working for.

The IGP said that in 1998 during fundraising the Dubai police had arrested Sikandar and jailed him for three months. In 2001, he was again arrested and the UAE authorities deported him to Pakistan. Later, he succeeded in getting a new passport by changing his name and appearance and reached Dubai where he remained active till 2010.



Sikandar also started taking drugs and remained in a Dera Ismail Khan hospital for some time for rehabilitation. “Basically, he wanted to take control of parliament to press the government to accept his demands. His wife was fully aware of the plan,” he added. The police are trying to unearth the ‘invisible hand’ behind Sikandar.

Sikandar and his wife Kanwal have been booked on charges including terrorism and attempted murder.

Meeting with journalist

Earlier the IGP held a meeting with media persons to seek suggestions for making standard operating procedures (SOP) for the journalists covering violent incidents. He requested the journalists to avoid breaching the security cordon while covering such incidents.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2013.