Journalist Wali Babar’s ‘assassin’: dead or on-the-run?

By: Staff Report | Published: February 14, 2011

KARACHI - The rumours mill went into overdrive on Sunday after text messages were circulated that journalist Wali Khan Babar’s suspected assassin, a man named Liaquat, had been killed. Police officials maintained, however, that law enforcers were carrying out raids in an attempt to nab Liaquat.

“These are just rumours; we are carrying out raids to arrest Liaquat, the main suspect of the case, and we are confident that we’ll arrest him soon,” a senior police official, speaking to Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity, said. “Liaquat is an officer of the Karachi Building Control Authority. He is considered an absconder in the case, and till now, the police have been unable to find clues about his hideout. We suspect that he fled the city after the incident,” the official claimed.

Sources privy to the investigation of Babar’s murder added that it seemed that the elements behind the journalist’s murder wanted to kill him. “Liaquat’s life is in danger, as high-profile individuals seemingly want to remove him from the picture so as to eliminate all evidence in the case,” sources said. Two suspects were detained by the police in connection with the murder of Babar, sources explained, and both not only admitted to their involvement in the case but also disclosed the names of their other associates.

Police sources, however, are reluctant to reveal their location due to the sensitive nature of the investigation. “The suspects claim that Liaquat had provided them with a car, but that they did not know anything about his hideout. We believe they are the killers, because all evidence points to them,” the senior officer said.