Khalil seeks Fazlâs help to evade re-investigation
Fearing arrest, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, former chief of the banned militant outfit, Harkatul Mujahiddin, has recently contacted Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, to speak with security agencies on his behalf, sources told Daily Times on Wednesday. âSecurity agencies have expedited their efforts to arrest Khalil because his name had come up during the interrogation of Hamid Hayat and Umer Hayat. Both men had told US investigators that they had trained at Khalilâs training camp located in Rawalpindi,â sources said. They added that Khalil, who had already gone underground after these developments, contacted Maulana Fazl and sought his help for mediation between him and security agencies because they (the agencies) wanted to re-investigate him.
Sources said that Maulana Fazl had discussed the issue with the concerned security agency and had defended Khalil saying that he was not involved in any terrorist activity in or outside Pakistan. The opposition leader also told the concerned agency that security agencies had recently released Khalil after an eight-month detention in various interrogation cells and now they wanted to re-arrest him. Sources said that both Khalil and Maulana Fazl belong to Dera Ismail Khan and Khalil had played an active role during Maulana Fazlâs election campaign in October 2002, adding that the other reason Khalil had sought Maulana Fazlâs help was because both men belonged to the Deobandi school of thought.
Posted by: Fred 2005-07-15 |