Azam Tariq murder case: ‘Most wanted’ suspect was not on exit control list

ISLAMABAD: A key suspect in the 2003 murder of Azam Tariq was not included in the exit control list (ECL) despite multiple requests made by the police. As a result, the suspect embarked on multiple foreign trips, evading arrest for over 13 years.

Syed Sibtain Kazmi had been arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport on May 11. He was among 13 suspects who had been booked by the Islamabad Police for Tariq’s murder in 2003.

Tariq, who was a sitting member of the National Assembly, had been gunned down along with three of his guards and a driver within the limits of Islamabad’s Golra police on October 6, 2003.

Kazmi had subsequently been declared as a proclaimed offender and was wanted by the police in the case. A bounty of Rs1 million had also been announced for his arrest. Moreover, the FIA had included him in their list of ‘most wanted terrorists’ for the murder.

A statement issued by the FIA after Kazmi’s arrest on May 11 stated that “Kazmi, a proclaimed offender in case FIR No 119/2003 of PS Golra Islamabad … has been apprehended by FIA at Islamabad Airport on an open-ended information without his name borne on ECL.”

Curiously, sources told The Express Tribune that soon after the murder, the Islamabad Police had dispatched two letters to the FIA for including Kazmi’s name in the ECL.

One of those letters had been written by then Golra police station SHO while the other had been written by the then SSP Islamabad Sultan Azam Temuri.

The SHO had even managed to obtain a signature on receipt of the Urdu-language letter, a source privy to the developments told The Express Tribune as he expressed surprise at the FIA’s failure to include Kazmi’s name in the ECL.

Moreover, during their investigations, the police found out that the suspect had undertaken six to seven trips abroad, mostly to the UK.

“His first documented travel entry into Pakistan is when he entered the country from Iran via a border crossing in 2009. After that, he went on multiple trips abroad, mostly to the UK,” said an official with knowledge of the investigations. Intriguingly, the FIA to had Kazmi’s travel record from 2009, recording the travels since he had to have a new passport made after losing his old one.

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However, police officials admitted that Kazmi was not accused of being directly involved in Tariq’s murder, rather he had been accused by the complainant of ‘hatching a conspiracy’ and facilitating the crime.

Police official added that of the 13 people who had been booked, some have been acquitted by the courts while some were still facing charges.

Complainant missing

The case has taken another interesting turn after it was discovered that the man who had first lodged an FIR of the murder, has gone missing.

Sources said that complainant, a brother of Tariq, has been a ‘missing person’ and that officials were clueless about his whereabouts. Meanwhile, at least two witnesses in the case who had recorded their statements against the suspects, are not in the country at the moment either.

Currently, it seems that there is no one from the complainants’ side who is present to pursue the case.

Police, meanwhile, has submitted a charge sheet against the suspects based on the recorded testimonies of the two witnesses.

Meanwhile, ATC Judge Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi has set July 3 as the day for indicting the suspect.

The court provided a copy of the charge sheet to the suspect on Thursday so that his counsel can prepare. Meanwhile, Kazmi’s judicial remand was also extended till July 3.

Police, however, have requested the court to conduct the trial within the jail premises instead of in open court.

Source: The Express Tribune