Three arrested over Wadh killings; tribal leader booked

QUETTA: Law enforcement agencies have arrested three suspects after registration of an FIR against a tribal elder, Mir Shafiq-ur-Rehman Mengal, and 100 others in connection with the killing of eight Levies personnel on Sunday in Wadh area of Khuzdar district. “Law enforcement agencies have arrested three suspects, including an injured man, in connection with the deadly attack on Levies check-post,” Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said. A joint investigation team comprising officials of police, army and Inter Services Intelligence would conduct an investigation into the incident and submit a report in a month after which the case will be sent to court. He said an FIR had been registered against Shafiq Mengal, son of former Balochistan caretaker chief minister Mir Naseer Mengal, and 100 others, including some prominent tribal elders of the area, under relevant sections of the Pakistan Protection Ordinance, Anti-Terrorist Act and Pakistan Penal Code. Mr Durrani said the injured suspect had divulged information which would help in the investigation. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have launched a search operation in Wadh area. Abdul Wahid Shahwani adds from Khuzdar: Shafiq Mengal, chief of Haq-na-Tawar, has denied that the injured man arrested from Hub is a member of his organisation. Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Wadh, he alleged that Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch had directed security forces to take action against workers of his organisation and tribal elders at the behest of a tribal chief and his political party. He claimed that some criminals wearing police and Levies uniforms had been deployed at check-posts along with personnel of law enforcement agencies to eliminate some tribal elders in fake encounters. He claimed that the criminals had killed Nazeer Ahmed and Mira Jee Das which caused the tragic incident of Sunday. He said that the case against him and his supporters had been registered three days after the incident at the behest of two tribal chiefs (Sardars). He alleged that the provincial chief and home secretaries had met the tribal chiefs in Karachi before the registration of the FIR. The home secretary was in Wadh on Sunday and had attended funeral of Levies personnel, he said and asked why the FIR was not registered on the same day. Shafiq Mengal alleged that after the formation of present federal and provincial governments, atrocities were being committed against activists of his organisation and 23 workers had gone missing after being kidnapped so far. However, he vowed to continue struggle against those “involved in the killing of innocent people”. Mir Attaullah Mengal, the brother of Shafiq Mengal, was present. Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2014