QUETTA: Nawabzada Gazain Marri, son of the late Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh, was arrested on his arrival at Quetta airport from Dubai on Friday. He returned home after ending 18 years of self-exile.

“Nawabzada Gazain Marri was arrested along with five others who travelled with him to Quetta from Dubai via flight number Pk-G9,” a senior police officer said, adding that they were picked up at the airport’s VIP lounge and taken to an unknown location in a vehicle amid tight security.

According to sources, he was taken to the Cantonment police station, along with the five others.

Police officials said he was arrested in the murder case of Justice Nawaz Marri of the Balochistan High Court, who was killed by armed men in the Zarghoon road area in 2000 when he was going to the high court. Mr Marri would be produced before a judicial magistrate to seek his remand, they added. His lawyer Arbab Tahir told reporters at the airport that Mr Marri was already on protective bail in the murder case.

“We arrived here [airport] to receive Nawabzada Gazain Marri, but despite having protective bail, police have taken my client into custody and shifted him to an unidentified location,” he said.

Gazain Marri, who was home minister in the cabinet of Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, and his close aide announced in Dubai the other day that he had decided to end his 18-year self-exile and live in Pakistan with his people. He had announced that he would face cases, if any, against him after returning home. Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said Mr Marri was wanted in a large number of murder cases. “Police have arrested Mr Marri and will produce him before courts of law after primary interrogation,” he said while talking to journalists.

In reply to a question about the protective bail, Mr Bugti said the legal team of Mr Marri had failed to produce any such bail. “Gazain Marri is in police custody and we have to take care of his security because he had close nexus with militants,” the minister said, adding: “His two brothers — Hyarbyar Marri and Zamuran Marri — have been leading banned terrorist organisations and their members may try to get him freed from police custody.”

He said the government would examine all criminal cases registered against Mr Marri in his native district of Kohlu and other parts of Balochistan.

The local administration had deployed a heavy contingent of police and other forces at the airport to prevent a large number of supporters and tribesmen from reaching the airport to welcome Mr Marri.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2017