PESHAWAR, June 22 2006: Additional Secretary Security for Fata Sikandar Qayyum on June 21 said that a judicial commission constituted for conducting an impartial inquiry into the killing of tribal reporter Hayatullah Khan would start its investigation by summoning the political agent North Waziristan tribal agency on June 22. He was speaking at a news conference here at the Fata Secretariat where Director Media Fata Shah Zaman was also present.
He said for the first time in the history of Pakistan a high court judge, Justice Sardar Raza, has been assigned the task to carry out judicial inquiry into the murder of tribal journalist in an area that was beyond his legal jurisdictions. To a question as to whether the judicial inquiry and two commissions constituted by NWFP Governor Lt Gen (retd) Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai were powerful enough to expand the scope of investigation to country’s secret agencies about which Hayatullah’s family had already expressed doubts, Sikandar Qayyum said he expected all the three inquiry teams would work independently.
Terming Hayatullah’s gruesome murder as a tragic and condemnable incident, he said the government after his mysterious kidnapping utilised all available resources for safe recovery of the late journalist, but in vain. He however admitted government’s failure in safe recovery of Hayatullah and explained that it every step will be taken to ensure justice to his family. When asked about the reported assurance of political agent North Waziristan Zaheer-ul-Islam to the brother of slain reporter on May 15 that Hayatullah was safe and would soon join his family, he said he was not aware of any such meeting.
He said after his disappearance, there were speculations in which he was said to be in US custody in its detention centre at Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Sikandar said the commission constituted for investigating Hayatullah’s kidnapping and murder was an independent, autonomous and a powerful body. About the situation in Fata, he said the involvement of foreign hand in Talibanisation of Pakistan’s tribal areas could not be ruled out, vowing that their security forces would continue to hunt those foreign elements hiding there to destabilise the country.
He said Talibanisation was being tackled and government was determined to strike hard against those who wanted to exploit the religious sentiments of the masses. Commenting on situation in the restive North and South Waziristan agencies, the additional secretary said one could best judge the situation from attacks on security forces in the two regions where the overall law and order situation was not satisfactory. He, however, added that security forces were aware of the gravity of situation in Fata and were actively engaged in the process of restoration of peace to the troubled areas. “The government will not compromise to establish its writ in the tribal areas,” he remarked.
Referring to the situation in Orakzai Agency, where two female teachers and equal number of children were gunned down on June 16, he said eight prime suspects had been held on the identification of local residents. About the current armed clashes between two tribes in Kurram agency over water dispute, he said so far 14 people had been killed and 35 injured.
Source: The News
Date:6/22/2006
