March 2nd, 2021
By Hidayat Ullah
CHAMAN
The family and party of slain Awami National Party spokesperson Asad Khan Achakzai have raised questions into the murder investigations as the situation in the border town of Chaman remained tense following the burial on Sunday.
Asghar Khan, ANP provincial president, said that investigations should unearth the hidden hands behind the murder of their colleague, pointing out that the murder suspects had continued to use the deceased’s car and cell phone, even months after dumping the dead body.
Amjad Khan, brother of Asad Khan Achakzai, said the deceased had called his family on reaching Kachlak on the way to Quetta on September 25, but had gone missing afterwards, adding that several people had tried to circumvent investigations.
He said the mutilation of dead bodies was unheard of in Pashtun culture.
“There is great sense of anger and loss among party workers and residents over the murder but we have appealed them to stay calm and peaceful,” Amjad Khan told Voicepk.net.
On February 27, senior police officials announced in Quetta that Asad Khan Achakzai, missing since September 25, 2020, was murdered during a carjacking incident.
DIG Police Azhar Ikram said the kidnapping case of Achakzai was registered at Airport Road Police Station five months ago.
The senior police official said the Quetta Police and CIA staff arrested the main accused along with the vehicle of Asad, and recovered the murder weapon from his possession as well.
“During the investigation, the main suspect, Israr Ahmed, an official of the Levies Force, had confessed to the murder and police recovered the dead body from a well in Quetta’s Nohisar area,” he told reporters. He said the dead body was identified by family members of the deceased.
“The suspect is on police remand and investigations are ongoing,” he said.
The late ANP provincial spokesperson was laid to rest in his hometown. The funeral prayers were held in the ground of Government Model High School in Chaman.
Thousands of people, including provincial ministers and political leaders, attended the funeral prayers. Manzoor Pashteen, head of Pakhtun Tuhafaz Movement, visited the late leader’s residence to offer his condolences.
The situation in the border town had turned tense as news of Asad’s brutal murder spread among residents.
However, the family members and party leaders appealed for calm and no untoward incident was reported.
On the call of the provincial ANP chapter, a strike was observed across cities in Balochistan. Shops, businesses, and bazaars remained closed in cities.
Authorities had deployed a sizable number of police and Levies Force officials to ensure security during the funeral prayers and burial in the town.