Qul of PM’s suicide attacker held

Staff Report

LAHORE: Qul of Hafiz Irfan, 23, the suicide attacker on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, was held on Saturday at his Sheesh Mehal Road residence under tight security.

An Anti-Terrorist Court in Rawalpindi on Friday had directed the law enforcement agencies to hand over the suicide bomber’s head to his father, Muhammad Mukhtar. Later, Irfan’s body parts, which had been preserved by authorities for investigation were brought to his house and were buried late night on Friday in Miani Sahib graveyard, with a heavy police contingent led by Dr Usman Anwar, superintendent of police (SP) of City Division.

Amid police security, nearly 60 to 70 people including a large number of bearded individuals participated in Irfan’s funeral and Quls.

The SP said, “We deputed police to avoid any untoward incident at the funeral and Qul.”

Irfan’s family members said his head had been in police custody for weeks and had been analysed at unknown places in both Lahore and Rawalpindi. During the interrogation officers took the blood samples of Mukhtar and two other family members for DNA testing, they said. Irfan had been missing since April 2004, they added.

Irfan’s native area residents said that he had close relations with Muhammad Ali whose elder brother, Haroon Rasheed, had been arrested for links with Al Qaeda. Rasheed had been in Adyala jail in Rawalpindi since his arrest. They said several people including Ali had been rounded up after Rasheed’s arrest.

The deputy inspector general (DIG) of police in Rawalpindi had revealed that Irfan, who had C-4 explosive wrapped around his waist, was among seven people killed in the terrorist attack on Shaukat Aziz. He said Amjad Farooqi, who was allegedly involved in an assassination attempt on Gen Musharraf, was believed to be the mastermind of the attack on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and had persuaded Irfan and his friend Obaid to carry out the act. Irfan got to the designated point and detonated his explosive-laden belt while Obaid failed to do so.

Home | National