LONDON: The fact-finding team (FFT) probing the murder of Arshad Sharif asked Syed Tasnim Haider and his lawyer Mahtab Anwar Aziz to produce evidence that Imran Khan and Arshad Sharif’s murder planning was made and executed from London but they didn’t provide any evidence to the FFT to back up the claim of murder conspiracy.
According to the team’s report, Syed Tasnim Haider was interviewed online by the FFT officers Athar Waheed of FIA and Omar Shahid Hamid of IB on 31st November but it’s understood that until today no evidence has been handed over by Mahtab Aziz to Pakistani investigators.
When the fact-finding team asked Tasnim Haider to produce evidence in support of his claim that on 8th July 2022 on Eid Day he met with Nawaz Sharif, Nasir Butt, Anjem Chaudhary and five others to conspire to attack Imran Khan and asked him to provide shooters, Tasnim Haider added the name of Rashid Nasrullah (Nawaz Sharif’s secretary) and Ijaz Gull in the list too and said the conspiracy was made in Hasan Nawaz Sharif’s office.
The FFT writes in the report “The FFT further asked to produce any concrete evidence to establish this accusation, he (Tasnim Haider) said he as a person is himself an evidence”. Tansim Haider told the FFT that he was advised by Liaqat Malik (Liaqat Mahmood) to make public allegations against Nasir Butt and others. Liaqat Malik was present in the first press conference of Tasnim Haider. Liaqat Malik has confirmed that he is a close relative of General (retired) Irfan Ahmad Malik who was accused by Nawaz Sharif of threatening to “smash” Maryam Nawaz.
When asked why he was expected to arrange the shooters, Tasnim Haider said “that once Nasir Butt had a dispute at a restaurant in Rawalpindi and he wanted to arrange firing” and “Tasneem provided three shooters”. The FFT asked him to provide a copy of his notification as PML-N spokesman but Tasnim Haider said his solicitor Mahtab Aziz will provide the copy but it’s understood no copy has yet been provided to be FFT.
Mahtab Aziz didn’t respond to questions and PML-N has said Tasnim Haider is lying and he never acted as a party spokesperson and never had any position. Tasnim Haider told the FFT that the plan to attack Arshad Sharif was made on 20th September 2022 where Nasir Butt asked him to provide shooters in Kenya to attack Arshad Sharif.
The FFT writes “He further stated that Nasir Butt on 22nd October told that Arshad Sharif was in their grip and next day Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya.” Picking up holes in Haider’s claims, the FFT said that he was aware of the alleged planning to attack Imran Khan and Arshad Sharif on 8 July but he went to the police in the UK on 5 November after making disclosures to the media.
He told the fact finders that he was named in a murder FIR of 17/18 people in Gujarat because he was opposed to PML-Q. Speaking to this correspondent, Liaqat Mahmood said “I can confirm that I asked Tasnim Haider to make these allegations of murder conspiracy against Nasir Butt, Nawaz Sharif and others.
I fully believe in this and I am personally accusing Nasir Butt of being involved in the murder conspiracy, and leading it. Everything Tasnim said about Nasir is true and that’s why I am going public. He was controlling Waqar and Khurram in Kenya.” Last week, the Scotland Yard said it has not launched any investigation into the allegations of murder conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif and Nasir Butt in nearly a month since the allegations were reported to the London police on multiple occasions.
Police sources have confirmed - both on the record and off the record - that no investigation has been launched over the murder conspiracy complaints involving attack on Imran Khan and the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya. “At this time, no investigation has been launched,” said Scotland Yard’s Specialist Operations Command Unit in response to questions asked by Geo News.