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ISLAMABAD: Investigators are looking for a cleric who had motivated Malik Mumtaz Qadri to kill Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.
Sources told Dawn on Saturday that during investigations Qadri said he had been motivated by the cleric, ‘QH’, of Rawalpindi.
Despite several raids, police have been unsuccessful in catching QH or tracing his whereabouts.
According to the sources, Qadri attended a congregation on Dec 31 near his house in Sadiqabad, Rawalpindi, where the cleric delivered a speech on blasphemy.
Admired by the speech Qadri met the cleric separately and discussed with him the issue of killing people committing blasphemy. The cleric had encouraged Qadri to kill when he asked how to deal with a blasphemer, the sources added.
“After the motivation I decided to kill the governor,” Qadri reportedly told investigators. Details about the cleric have been collected and his name has been put on the list of wanted man.
The investigators detained another Elite Force man, who is a member of the prime minister’s security squad. He is a friend of Qadri and has been in touch with him. Qadri used to discuss with him the issue of blasphemy.
According to the sources, an official of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulating Authority was also picked up for his alleged role in motivating Qadri. Another friend of Qadri, who was detained on the same charges, has been released after investigation and verification.
The sources said that Qadri had links with different religious groups. The links were first revealed during a scrutiny of the Punjab Elite Force after two attempts on the life of former president Pervez Musharraf in 2005.
At that time he was with the Rawalpindi Special Branch, but transferred to Police Line in 2006.
