Senior civil servant, two relatives shot dead in Waziristan

MIRANSHAH: Unidentified motorcyclists shot dead a senior civil officer Zubaidullah Khan and his uncle and cousin in Hassokhel village in Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan in an act of target killing on the first day of Eidul Fitr.

Officials of the North Waziristan Police said initial investigation showed that it was a terrorist attack. They said the First Information Report (FIR) of the murders hasn’t been registered yet as it would have to be done under the anti-terrorism act by the Counter-Terrorism Department based in Bannu.

Sources said Zubaidullah Khan, an officer of the Information Group presently posted as director of Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) in Islamabad, was returning home with his relatives after visiting a relative. However, police officials said they were coming home after performing Eidul Fitr prayers when the bike-riders fired indiscriminately at them and escaped after committing the crime. The killers haven’t been identified yet.

Zubaidullah Khan’s uncle Malik Niamatullah and cousin Farmanullah were also killed in the incident. Police officials said they were rushed to the nearby Mir Ali Hospital but soon succumbed to their injuries. The slain men belonged to the Dawar tribe. Zubaidullah Khan, who was visiting his village to celebrate Eidul Fitr with his family, had earlier served as a director in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). He had also served in the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF). Most of his service was spent in Islamabad.

Zubaidullah Khan apparently faced no threat as he used to come to his village often from Islamabad to attend occasions of joy and sorrow. Hassokhel is a village of educated people and its bazaar, located close to Mir Ali town, is open late at night after return of peace in the area. The killings made people sad and angry. Tribal elders and political activists held a jirga after the incident and asked the government to take steps to stop the incidents of violence that now take place regularly in North Waziristan. They warned of staging protests if the law and order didn’t improved.