‘Proven militant’: Bomber’s alleged handler placed in black category

Court disposes of petition of two other previously missing persons

PESHAWAR: A Kohat internment centre report produced before the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday stated that the handler of a suicide bomber has been placed in the black category of ‘proven militant’. He had gone missing in November 2012, but was later traced to the Kohat internment centre.

The report was prepared after a thorough investigation which declared Jehangir Khan a ‘proven militant’ for his alleged involvement in anti-state activities and support of militants. He was arrested with suspected suicide bomber, Bilal, in the jurisdiction of Sarband police station on November 20, 2012.

Additional Advocate General Waqar Ahmad Khan produced the report before the division bench of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain during a hearing on Tuesday of several petitions regarding enforced disappearances.

When the bench took up the petition, Ziaul Haq, the counsel for Jehangir Khan, said the court directed the IGP to identify those police officials who held a press conference showing both Bilal and Jehangir to the media.

In the previous hearing, the police’s counsel Abdul Fayyaz told the court that Jehangir was traced to the Kohat interment centre. Consequently, the court directed the provincial government to produce the oversight board report.

CJ Miankhel observed that Jehangir was found detained in Kohat and placed in the black category, therefore, he was no longer a missing person.

The petition filed by Jehangir’s family stated Sarband police arrested two suspects, Bilal and Jehangir Khan, on November 20, 2012. Bilal was produced before anti-terrorism court while Jehangir’s whereabouts remained unknown for some time.

During previous hearings, the PHC was told that a picture in the newspapers showed that both men were in police custody as law-enforcement personnel were clearly visible. At a hearing on March 28, 2014, the court ordered IG police to identify the police official shown arresting the suspected suicide bombers and produce him before the bench.

Separately, the court was also told that three people, Fazal Ghani, Zahid Ikhtiar and Muhammad Bilal had gone missing from Mattani. Ikhtiar and Bilal returned home safely after being detained for around seven months. The court then disposed of the petition of those two, while it asked for a report on Fazal Ghani.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2015.