Pakistan police have arrested a Taliban militant allegedly involved in the killing of former minister for minorities affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, who was shot dead for speaking against the blasphemy laws.
Around two weeks ago, Hammad Adil was arrested in a raid, along with Muhammad Tanveer, an alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ringleader.
They were caught with the help from intelligence agencies from their hideout in Phulgran in Islamabad’s suburbs and a car laden with explosives was also seized from their possession, media reports said on Tuesday.
These two were suspected of planning the attack on Mr. Bhatti with the help of another accomplice Omer Abdullah.
“They waited for the former minister in a car outside his residence and opened fire,” said a police official.
Adil was among the planners while Tanveer provided him with the AK-47 and other weapons used in the assassination.
In March 2011, Mr. Bhatti was gunned down in Islamabad.
During the interrogation, Adil told the police that he planned to murder Mr. Bhatti as he had spoken about amending the blasphemy laws and supported ‘blasphemers’, The Express Tribune reported.
