ISLAMABAD: The Chief Commissioner Office on Tuesday approached the Fata Secretariat in Peshawar for custody of a man wanted in connection with the murder of Malik Fahad, a nephew of former Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro, officials told Dawn.

They said a letter written by the Chief Commissioner Office to the Fata additional chief secretary, Fata Secretariat Peshawar, sought the transfer of the accused, Raja Arshad Mehmood, to the federal capital.

A case has been registered against him on charges of murder, attempted murder, rioting, possession of deadly weapon, unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object and hurt.

Non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the accused have already been issued by the court, it stated.

“It was reported that the accused had been arrested through the assistant political agent of Landi Kotal and currently he is on physical remand.”

The accused is required to be transferred from Landi Kotal to Islamabad for an investigation, it added.

“It is requested that the quarters concerned may kindly be directed for the transfer of the accused under effective security arrangements and after completing all codal/legal formalities,” the letter added.

Fahad was killed in an armed clash on August 15 in the jurisdiction of the Shalimar police.

An FIR was registered with the police under the Anti-Terrorism Act on a complaint by Malik Tariq, Fahad’s uncle, against Raja Arshad and another suspect, Noman Khokhar.

On August 15, a verbal dispute broke out in F-10 between Raja Arshad and Malik Tariq and resulted in the two men reaching an agreement at a local police station. However, both parties then clashed again in the same area. Fahad, who was attempting to mediate between the two parties, was shot four times and died on the spot while Malik Tariq was injured.

On Aug 18, Raja Arshad obtained a protective bail from Lahore High Court’s Multan bench till August 30. The LHC directed him to approach the district and sessions court of Islamabad.

However, on August 27, the protective bail of another accused – Noman Khokhar – was cancelled leading to his arrest.

Raja Arshad was arrested at the Torkham border while trying to escape to Afghanistan on Aug 28.

He was held at the border checkpoint during the checking of his passport, which was found to have been cancelled.

The passport had been cancelled by the Ministry of Interior on the request of the capital police. The name of the accused was also found in the exit control list.

Later, he was handed over to the political agent and detained at a lock-up in Landi Kotal.

A case was also registered against him there.

The officials said the accused obtained an Afghan visa for a month from its consulate at Quetta on August 24. He was planning to escape to Europe via Afghanistan as visas were also found stamped on his passport, they added.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2016