By:- R K Afridi

 

Tahir Dawar’s abduction from Islamabad itself is a question mark…

Tahir Dawar’s family contacted the Pakistani security forces including Police, army and Intelligence right after his missing from Islamabad. The KPK chief of police told the family that “Tahir Dawar is safe and sound, and will be home in a few days”. In addition to that, senior advisor to Prime Minister said “he has not been kidnapped at all”.

Although, Mohsen Dawar has tweeted about Tahir’s missing, and PTM leadership had constantly contacted Tahir’s family, but the family kept saying that he would be home in a few days according to the security institutions. However, his dead body’s photos were viral on social media after 19 days of his abduction, when his family and media contacted the government; Sheharyar Afridi the interior minister said “no comments, since it’s a sensitive issue”. Two days later, it was confirmed that Tahir Dawar was killed and his body was found in ten meters with the Durand line in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The Afghan tribal elders had respectfully done the bier and obsequy of the corpse and decided to inhume him next to Bacha Khan’s tomb in Jalalabad but the deceased’s family wanted to bury him in Peshawar. Now when it came to hand over the corpse, the Pakistani government did its best so the corpse would be handed over to them, but in accordance to the Pashtun culture and norms, the corpse is never given to the party that has killed, thrown and insulted the victim’s body. Thusly, Mohsen Dawar, PTM’s members and the deceased’s son left for Torkham to receive the cadaver, but Pakistani army had blocked the road on them. Finally, they had no option but to walk to Torkham crossing point where the Interior minister Sheharyar Afridi had waited for four hours to receive the corpse but failed. The coffin was handed over to Mohsen Dawar and other tribal elders, but it was forcefully taken by the Pakistani army and Sheharyar Afridi the man who had denied Tahir’s abduction and did absolutely nothing about his abduction in 19 days. The corpse was then given to the family sometimes around 10pm where Tahir’s widow did not let officials to put the Pakistani flag on the coffin. Meantime, hundreds of people in the funeral hooting “the Pakistani army is behind the terrorism and terrorists, death to the Pakistani army”. The deceased’s family in particular his brother and son had rejected the Pakistani institution’s investigation and asked for an international and/or UN investigation.

Controversies:

 

The interior minister Sheharyar Afridi gave a statement stating that Tahir Dawar was kidnapped from Islamabad and taken via Jehlam, Mianwali, Bannu and to Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. It was the same Afridi who had said that it was a sensitive issue, but on the very last minute he found out all routs Tahir was taken via. But, he did not evern try to know that Bannu meets Khost province not Nangarhar??

Aisf Ghafor the spokesman of the Pakistani army had said that it was not only terrorism but collusion too. Furthermore, the letter found with Tahir’s body was written in Pashtu and Urdu claiming the responsibility by IS. First, IS has not claimed the responsibility yet, while they never leave a letter but claim the responsibility on their website. Secondly, they always claim the responsibility in Arabic language on their site not in Pashtu or Urdu. Third and most importantly, an abduction by any group including IS, Taliban and TTP is for a demand. For instance, the former Pakistani Prime Minister Gillani’s son was kidnapped by Al-Qaida and kept for years, the former governor Salman Taseer’s son was kidnapped and came home after years, and dean of Peshawar Islamia College who is Asfandyar Wali’s cousin was kidnapped by TTP but left after their demands were accepted. So, Tahir Dawar’s case is not a kidnapping case at all neither a murder case by any groups other than the Pakistani security institutions, because, if it was IS to kill him, then;

 

Why would they take him all the way from Islamabad to Nangarhar?

Why they did not kill him in Islamabad?

Was he killed to counter PTM?

Was he killed to create abhorrence between the Pashtuns on both sides of Durand line?

Was he killed to give a message to other Pashtun officers in Pakistan if they don’t obey, they will face the same consequences?

Why the Pakistani institutions are suspected for the deceased’s family?