Showkat killing: Three held,Andrabi husband,PoK militant suspects

Also arrested are former militants Javed Ahmad Munshi alias Bill Papa and Nisar Khan alias Ishaq

Three men were today arrested for the April 8 assassination of Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees chief Maulana Showkat Shah. Police blamed the conspiracy on elements of the Lashkar-e-Toiba,the Pakistan-based secretary general of the United Jihad Council,and Ashiq Hussain Faktoo alias Dr Qasim,who is serving a life term and is the husband of Dukhtaran-i-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi.

Inspector General of Police S M Sahai said the murder was the result of factional rivalry in Ahl-e-Hadees and the battle for control of the Valleys growing Wahabbist constituency.

Among those arrested was Abdul Gani Dar alias Abdullah Gazhali,chief of a breakaway faction of the Jamiat,Saut-ul-Haq who is believed to have hatched the conspiracy with the others. Also arrested are former militants Javed Ahmad Munshi alias Bill Papa and Nisar Khan alias Ishaq.

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The conspiracy was hatched in 2010. Ever since they had been following the movement of Maulana Showkat. They finally executed the plan by tying an IED to a bicycle outside the mosque in Maisuma when Showkat went to offer Friday prayers, Sahai said at a press conference.

The IED,the IG said,was brought from Sopore and detonated by Nisar Khan. It was a conspiracy involving Saut-ul Haq and Tehreek Mujahideen. Lashkar was contacted to provide explosives. And they did.

Sahai said Showkats hardline detractors had conspired to kill him as he refused to radicalise the Jamiat and interacted with Barelvis,Shias etc. This was not acceptable to his detractors.

At the same time,Sahai said they were not wrapping up the case yet,and he was not pointing fingers at the Lashkar or Hizb. I merely tell you how the conspiracy was hatched and who are the persons behind it and what is their identity. I dont make any implications about the Lashkar and Hizb. The larger conspiracy behind the murder is yet to be exposed.

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Sahai said Faktoo,the leader of the separatist Muslim League,was one of the chief architects of the murder. He is currently serving life sentence for the murder of human rights activist Hriday Nath Wanchoo in 1992.

The broad contours of the murder were discussed during a visit by Dar to Faktoo in jail. It was Faktoo who helped establish links with Lashkar. Faktoo possibly did it through couriers, the IG said.

The actual execution of the plan was left to one Javed Munshi,who sought help from Lashkar commander Abdullah Uni. He received some material from Uni and arranged some of it locally. Various parts of execution were carried out by the other members. However,the actual detonation of the IED was entrusted to Nisar Khan.

As for the United Jehad Councils general secretary,Sahai said he was roped in to facilitate the killing. The Laskhar and UJC chief Syed Salahuddin,incidentally,have denied any hand in the killing. The UJC has also promised to independently investigate the murder.