Assassinated former Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
A suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant, caught by the police a few days ago, confessed to the assassination of former Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti.
The terrorist killed the former minister for speaking against the blasphemy laws, said the Islamabad police on Monday.
Around two weeks ago, Hammad Adil was arrested in a raid, along with Muhammad Tanveer, an alleged TTP ringleader. They were caught, with the help from intelligence agencies, from their hideout in Phulgran, in Islamabad’s suburbs, and car laden with explosives was also seized from their possession.
These two were suspected of planning the attack on Bhatti with the help of another accomplice, Omer Abdullah.
“They waited for the former minister in a car outside his residence and opened fire,” said a police official. Adil was among the planners while Tanveer provided them with the AK-47 and other weapons used in the assassination.
In March 2011, Bhatti was gunned down in the Sector I-8/3 area of the capital, where the militants forced his vehicle to a halt.
During the interrogation, Adil told the police that he planned to murder Bhatti as he had spoken about amending the blasphemy laws and supported ‘blasphemers’. The militants studied his routine and monitored his movement for a few days before the attack.
Meanwhile, he also told the police that he was preparing for another terrorist attack on a major installation. A suicide bomber was on his way from the tribal areas to Islamabad to drive and hit the explosives-laden vehicle (found during the raid) into a key target in the capital city, Adil told investigators.
The confession by Adil came at a time when the police had given up the tracing of Shahbaz Bhatti’s killers.
After Adil’s confession, the police arrested another suspect, Shakil Indrabi, from a house in Islamabad a few days ago. Indrabi is being interrogated, and the court has sent Adil to a three-day police remand. The police said they are trying to arrest the other two accomplices as soon as possible.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2013.
COMMENTS (15)
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The Taliban are such nice people, we must be sensitive to their cause.
After killing confession, expect a caravan of lawyers and judges with rose petals for the killer
The only good Taliban is a dead Taliban.
its seems a loot sale on Pakistani blood...anybody and come and kill us with reason or even with out reason...we are very great nation we will forgive you for murdering any of our brother and sisters...no matter who you are Tabliban, CIA or any other secret service agent, terrorist or assassin you will be have Equal Opportunity in killing us, we are not biased about any race and sect in this regard.
Please hurry up before, someone from nation awake and demand a head for head and tale for tale.
May Allah Rest Us All in Peace! Pakistan Zindabad, and Pakistani have a nice sleep
I think that Government should apologize to these terrorists for arresting them for such a noble cause. Killing a christian for openly talking a blasphemy laws should be honor and we can all take pride in it. What a country. Imran Khan should come to his senses.
@Striver: ".... Remember the essence of Islam is Haqooq-Allah and Haqooa-ul-Ebaad." . Very conveniently you have avoided mentioning the third one, which supersedes the two, thus acting as the governing principle, namely Huquuq-ul-Nafs.
Is it coincidence everything coming up now as we are trying to negotiate ....
@Sonya: proof?
@Waqas: "I cant believe these murderers are being negotiated with and the worst part is so called educated people justify their acts." . Attending a school for a certain numbers of years, for acquiring proficiency in a trade does not make anyone educated. . One group of leadership is bolstering them while others are inventing the best way of not confronting them.
Blasphemy law is being miss used. This is a fact we must accept. We do accept. The next step is mend our ways. Remember the essence of Islam is Haqooq-Allah and Haqooa-ul-Ebaad.
..........and Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif still think that talking to criminals is the answer.
This is complete nonsense. After an investigation we always have rooms for confessions from TTP. What we are upto is the biggest question.
I cant believe these murderers are being negotiated with and the worst part is so called educated people justify their acts
Hammad Adil is a brother of SP Lahore Kamran Adil - what is going on in this country?
After confessing, will the perpetrators be tried and jailed ? Or will they be freed when talks with the TTP begins.