Police summon Sheikh Rashid on PPP’s complaint

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police have asked former federal minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad to join an investigation into“publicizing” allegations levelled by PTI Chairman Imran Khan that former President Asif Ali Zardari had hired a terrorist outfit for his assassination.

The Aabpara police had summoned Sheikh Rashid to join the investigation at 5 pm on Monday but he didn’t follow the police advise and avoided the probe, sources told The News. “The offence is so serious that even PTI Chief Imran Khan could be rounded up for an investigation,” a police officer claimed.

“People engaged in the investigation are determined to round up Sheikh Rashid for investigations but he has disappeared from the scene,” sources maintained, adding that the police would lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against him if he avoided the investigation.

A local leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Raja Inayat-ur-Rehman, has lodged a complaint with the SSP (Operations) saying that he had watched an interview of Shaikh Rashid on a private TV channel, who was publicising the allegation levelled by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against former President Asif Ali Zardari that he hired services of terrorists for his killing. The complainant said that Sheikh Rashid claimed that he had evidence to prove the conspiracy. He said that Shaikh Rashid had increased threats to the lives of the former President and other PPP leaders. “Sheikh Rashid is a part of the plot of killing Imran Khan, as he indicated, so the police should get information from him to counter the conspiracy,” the complainant concluded.

The Superintendent of Police (City Zone) has marked the complaint for an investigation. According to reports, the police have constituted teams comprising commandos and paramilitary forces to arrest Shaikh Rashid for investigations.