Farooq Haider, 48, was a scion of a veteran leaguer Prof Imdad Hussain, who served as secretary information of All India Muslim League in 1935. Sources in the district administration said Farooq Haider was shot a few yards away from his residence in Mohalla Fattu Mandi (Dabgari). He was heading towards his official car to leave for the office when a bearded and short-statured man opened fire on his back. "He received four bullets in upper back," said sources in Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where the 48-year-old police officer expired minutes after his arrival.

The AIG's official guard, Alam Zeb, who was accompanying him at the time of incident, was unarmed. "Sahab had asked me not to carry a gun to the street where he lived. I heard the shots and turned back. Sahab was on the ground," explained Alam Zeb, who claimed to have seen the assailant. He said he ran towards the car to fetch his gun but by then the attacker had fled. He asserted that he was a couple of yards ahead of the boss.

Alam Zeb said the incident took place between 9:15 to 9:30 am, a time when Farooq Haider used to leave his house for the office. Tehrik Jafria Pakistan (TJP) and Tehrik Nifaz-e-Fiqah Jafria (TNFJ) wasted no time in accusing the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) of being responsible for the brutal murder. The TJP and TNFJ also demanded the immediate removal of the Nawaz government which they regretted had failed to protect the lives of even public servants.

An FIR, filed by the deceased's younger brother at the Dabgari Police Station, also mentioned the SSP as having engineered the murder. The SSP, however, condemned the murder and denied having any link with it. A statement released by SSP, NWFP Saturday evening said it had nothing to do with the murder of Farooq Haider, whom it declared a straightforward and honest officer, having never interfered in religious disputes.

"We'll be probing different motives and sectarianism is definitely going to be one of them," a worried Inspector General of Police (IGP), NWFP Syed Kamal Shah told newsmen near the site of the incident. He said eight cartridges were found from the spot, all fired from a pistol.

PESHAWAR, April 20: The newly-established anti-terrorism court will commence hearing in the murder case of an additional inspector-general of traffic police, Farooq Haider, in the central prison here on April 25.

The court, presided over by Akhter Zareef Khan, took up for preliminary hearing the case on Saturday and decided that from the next date, regular hearing would be started. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, the trial court has to conclude a trial within a week.

Two accused in the case, Mumtaz and Hayat Khan, who are on bail, appeared before the court, which has been conducting proceedings of different cases inside the prison.

Farooq Haider was killed in 1999 when he came out of his residence in the morning to attend his official duty. The accused, Hayat Khan, was allowed pre-arrest bail, while Mumtaz was granted bail by the Peshawar High Court.

Before shifting the case to the anti-terrorismcourt, the trial was conducted by additional district and sessions judge,Aimon Zia. Two months back, the judge was transferred and till now no judicial officer has been appointed in his place.

The ATC will also decide on May 2 the question whether a case of dacoity under the Offence Against Property (Enforcement for Hudood) Ordinance, 1979, is a schedule offence or not.

As the government has entrusted the famous case of the Brinks dacoity of Nowshera to the ATC, the accused in that case has filed an application, challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

A van of the Brinks security agency, taking money from a bank in Nowshera, was looted on Kheshki Road and a guard and a driver were killed. The accused had looted Rs2.5 million. Later, the police arrested six of the accused -Jamshed, Mir Zaman, Nadeem, Ahsanullah, Sameen and Jan Mohammad. The seventh accused, Rehmanullah, is still at large.

The trial for this case is being conducted in the central prison by the district and sessions judge, Nowshera, Muhammad Ayaz Khan.

The court will also conduct trials in the murder cases of the secretary-general of the Tehrik-i-Jaffria Pakistan (TJP), Anwer Ali Akhundzada, and a dental surgeon, Dr Jawed.

Refering Site

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws