High-profile assassination: Key suspect among five held in Khanzada case

Alleged TTP member produced before Rawalpindi judicial magistrate

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD)  officials have arrested five key suspects involved in the suicide attack that killed Punjab home minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada and 16 others, a senior official of the department said.

On Tuesday, CTD produced Muawiya before the Rawalpindi judicial magistrate and obtained his 14-day physical remand.

Khanzada and 16 others were killed in a suicide blast last month at his political office in Shadi Khan, near Attock. Over a month after the incident, CTD, with support from intelligence agencies, have arrested Qasim Muawiya, a member of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Official privy to the matter, requesting anonymity, said that Muawiya was the mastermind of the attack and provided support to the suicide bombers.

The joint investigation team had earlier stated that there were two suicide bombers, one who stood outside the boundary wall, and the second who went inside and stood in front of the minister.

The official said a TTP-affiliated group headed by Qari Suhail, and ten other members played a key role in the attack.

According to the official, Qari Suhail had sent suicide bombers to Attock a week before the attack to begin tracking the slain minister’s movements. The other suspects in the attack included Amjad, Fiaz, Niaz, Zaheer, Talha, Imran Sattar, Sadaqat and Sadam.

Khanzada, 71, had been holding a meeting with locals when a suicide bomber blew himself up. The home minister and several others were buried under the rubble after the blast brought down the roof of the house.

A number of banned outfits claimed responsibility for the attack. The CTD later registered an FIR and started investigation.

Khanzada was given charge of the home department in October 2014 and had been actively involved in major operations against terror outfits. The provincial department he headed was responsible for the maintenance of law and order, and protection of life and property of citizens. He had previously served as the as Punjab provincial minister and Adviser to the Punjab chief minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2015.