The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the assassination of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer visited Kohsar Market crime scene and collected evidence, questioning the eye-witnesses. The JIT led by DIG Operations Islamabad Police Bani Ameen Khan took the murderer, Mumtaz Qadri to Kohsar Market as part of the investigation process, police sources revealed to Business Recorder on Wednesday.
They said that investigation team chalked out a detailed map of the crime scene, collected various blood samples, bullet shells and other material for forensic examination. The JIT members also questioned many persons in Kohsar Market and recorded their statements, sources said.
They said that during the preliminary investigation, the murderer disclosed that he had shared his plan regarding the assassination of Governor Taseer with some of his fellow Elite Force guards. He also unveiled other details about the execution of his plan. Qadri admitted on Tuesday that he killed Governor Taseer over his objection to the blasphemy law.
The investigation team arrested over 36 persons to probe this high profile murder. People who were arrested by JIT include father, four brothers and three other relatives of Mumtaz Qadri, 18 Elite Force officials including Mumtaz Qadri and Muharer (who record initial report) ASI Aijaz Shah, eight employees of the restaurant where Salmaan Taseer had his lunch before assassination.
The Special Branch sources said that Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, a commando of Elite Force, a special police force of Punjab, who killed Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer was marked as 'security risk' for the VVIP security. They said that former Senior Superintendent of Police, Nasir Khan Durrani had marked Mumtaz Qadri unfit for VIP duty due to his radical Islamist attitude. Keeping in view his radical Islamist opinion, veteran Police officer (Durrani) had marked on the personal file of Mumtaz Qadri 'Not Fit for VIP Duty', termed him as security-risk and recommended not to be deployed on VIP security duty, sources said.