30 members of banned outfit arrested
February 11, 2008
nation.com.pk

LAHORE - A City police team, headed by SP Mughalpura, Sunday carried out a raid on a house in Ghaziababd and allegedly arrested 30 members of a banned militant organization, Sipah-e-Sahaba. The police team also seized huge cache of sophisticated weapons from their custody.

A senior police official said five of the arrested had notorious criminal record and were involved in the murder of many people including a DSP, a doctor and some other citizens. The police officer revealed that all the activists, arrested from the house, were members of the banned outfit.

SP Mughalpura Sajjad Manj told this scribe that police got information about the members of this outlawed group gathered in a house in Ghaziabad. The house was owned by one Rustam Ali, who was also a member of Sipah-e-Sahaba. The owner of the house managed to escape during the raid, he said.

He said four arrested members identified as Rana Khalil of Begum Kot, Asif Mehmood of Okara, Asim Umer of Shadbagh and Hafiz Naveed Akhtar of Shadbagh had been remained under investigation with the police and Crimes Investigation Department in connection with murder cases including of DSP Tariq Commando and had faced imprisonment.

The police also seized hate literature.

He said that as per the criminal record collected by the police from various police stations of the province, the arrested people had been involved in heinous crimes. Giving details, the SP said five of them were notorious criminals and had killed a police officer, DSP Tariq Kambo, and a doctor in Okara. 

An activist Asif Mahmood had been blacklisted due to his involvement in heinous crimes, the SP said and added that none of them was involved in high-profile crimes like suicide bomb blast or other such crimes.

About weapons recovered from the activists, the SP said that two Kalashnikovs, three 222, a pump action and rifles were recovered from their possession.

DSP Mughalpura Malik Awais said that two activists Hafiz Naveed and Rana Khalil had killed a DSP Tariq Kambo while another Muhammad Asif was involved in throwing hand-grenade at the Iqbal Town residence of DSP Maratab Ali Shah. He disclosed that another activist Umar Khan Muawia had spent several years behind bars.

Another police officer told this scribe on condition of anonymity that the activists were gathered at the residence of Rustam Ali for condolence of death of former Sipah-e-Sahaba member Muslim Butt who was murdered some days ago by unknown car riders in front of Shalamar Hospital. 

A case has been registered against them.

The arrested were identified as Mahmood Ahmad of Fateh Garh, Kashaf of Main Bazar Sadar, Iftikhar Ali, Kot Abdul Maalik, Amjad of Fateh Garh, Akbar Jabbar of Bhai Pheru, Habib Khan of Imam Town Ghaziabad, Shafiq of Bhai Pheru, Muhammad Anwar, Harbansepura, Muhammad Amir of Sadr, Muhammad Fayaz of Fateh Garh, Rana Khalil of Begum Kot, Imran, Gujranwala, Asif Mahmood of Okara, Asim Umar of Bhagatpura, Muhammad Sabir, a resident of Wasanpura, Muhammad Amin of Okara, Hafiz Naveed of Shadbagh, Malik Sabir of Ghoray Shah, Ali Asghar, Lahore, Naveed Shakar of Shaheenabad, Gujranwala, Wajid Ali a resident of Abbottabad, Irfan Sadiq of Ghazi Road, Babar Ali of Mustafabad, Lahore, Rashid Riaz, Dharampura, Amir Bahadar Khan, Hussainabad Lahore and Javed Saeed, a resident of Mustafabad, Lahore. 

On the other hand, Sarfraz Khan, brother of Rustam Moawia, rejected the police allegations and said the arrested people were their guests who had come to there to mourn death of PPP activists and former Sipa-e-Sihaba member Muslim Butt, who was murdered by unidentified people in Mughalpura some days back.

He claimed the police seized legal weapons during the raid.
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Comment:

U.S. Government Funds Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Terrorists.