MULTAN, March 21: An alleged terrorist of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Tanveer alias Tanni, has confessed his involvement in several incidents of sectarian killings and arms trafficking in the Punjab.

A press release issued by police here on Wednesday says Multan police had arrested Tanveer Khan, carrying headmoney of Rs1 million, some days ago. He is said to be the resident of Kabirwala, Khanewal.

He started taking active part in sectarian violence in 1991, and attacked Faisal Imam, the brother of former National Assembly speaker Fakhr Imam, in December 1991 in Kabirwala, and killed seven people at Khana-i-Farhang, Multan, in February 1997.

He also confessed the murder of known Shia Zakir Riaz Husain Monch in September 1998 in Jhang, killing of five people at an Imambargah of Basti Sarai in Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh district, in September 1998, and murder of Advocate Khursheed Anwar and his guard in September 1999 in the district courts of Dera Ismail Khan.

He told police that Muhammad Yousaf, Aziz Kutana, Imran Ashraf, Ghula, Shabbir alias Dr Nasir, Shakil Anwar alias Mustafa, Dilawar Husain, Zubair Khan, Ghulam Rasool Shah, Malik Ishaq, Amjad, Akram Ganji, Usman Haideri, Mulazim Husain, Murtaza Muavia and Aziz Baloch had been his accomplices in these incidents.

Tanveer said he also used to smuggle automatic arms in the Punjab through Dera Ismail Khan. These arms included 76 Kalashnikovs, 68 pistols of .30 calibre, three rocket launchers along with 30 rockets, three LMGs, and thousands of cartridges.

He is said to be a member of the Lashkar high command comprising Akram Lahori, Qari Abdul Hayee, Zakiullah, Sajjad Pathan, Ataur Rahman and Asif Ramzi.

Tanveer claimed that in a meeting in September last year at Sarobi, Afghanistan, he and Qari Hayee opposed to the killing of the people of rival sect and stressed on initiating a dialogue with the government to secure the release of imprisoned 'comrades' in the bargain. But the rest of the high command opposed the suggestion.

"Riaz Basra believes in bloodshed even if Sunnis are killed in the attack as it happened in Sheikhupura a day before Eidul Azha," the press release quoted Tanveer as saying.

He said that due to the rift in the Lashkar between Riaz Basra and Qari Hayee factions, the new "entrants" were disappointed and that the Qari Hayee group had been carrying on the terrorist activities only to remain in the circuit of Sunni extremist outfits. Dr Tanveer and Master Ameer Luk were killed in Khanewal for this purpose.

The press release disclosed that Tanveer's brother Nadeem alias Nadeemi was also a Lashkar activist and was presently imprisoned in a murder case registered with the Shorkot city police station.