A leading British newspaper had reported a 'kill list' posted on a social media platform, mentioning some of the significant public figures of Pakistan. A Pakistani parliamentary committee, headed by Opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Shazia Marri, has ordered a probe over the so-called list.
According to the Dawn newspaper, the Interior Secretary has been asked by the committee to share inputs on the probe with senators Farhatullah Babar and Afrasiab Khattak, whose names are prominently present in the "kill list".
The list was shared by Ehsanullah Ehsan, former Taliban spokesperson, through a Facebook post, which included names of former senators of Pakistan Farhatullah Babar, Afrasiab Khattak, Syed Alam Mehsud and Mufti Kifayatullah.
Ehsanullah Ehsan's Revelations
In his post, Ehsan said that he has been asked to form a group and eliminate some people. Ehsan was a former spokesperson for Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who had surrendered himself to the Pakistan security agencies in 2017 and became a trusted confidant of the agencies, providing information regarding conspiracies that are planned against the government. He had also been a part of Jamaatul Ahrar, another terror group responsible for some heinous attacks in Pakistan, Farhatullah Babar said.
In an interview with Al Jazeera news channel, Ehsan had disclosed the details about his release from the high-security detention center and the agreement made over his release. He also revealed that the agreement granted him legal citizenship of Pakistan, along with a monetary stipend. As agreed, he had also provided several inputs to the military and national authorities, Ehsaan stated.
Raising Concerns over the Hit List
The hit list included the name of ex-senator Usman Kakar, who was mysteriously killed in June in Quetta. The government of Balochistan ordered a probe over the case with a judicial commission, after Kakar's family alleged murder. However, it was split up due to the family's lack of trust in the government, Babar said.
Adding flame to this matter, the Guardian newspaper of the UK had reported a few days ago about Pakistani activists, who were living abroad, sharing death threats to these public figures.
As per reports, the Pakistan Foreign Office has denied the existence of any such list, which was believed to be shared by the Five United Nations bodies in a letter sent to the Pakistan government in May 2019. However, it hasn't denied suspicions on such terror activities and murders, the FO stated.
Senator Babar and Khattak had shared their concerns over the dangerous list since it includes many more names including theirs. Minister Shireen Mazari has instructed to investigate the case thoroughly.
