PNS Mehran: Ex-Navy commando Kamran among five arrested
30 May, 2011
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| PNS Mehran: Ex-Navy commando Kamran Ahmed held for complicity |
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LAHORE: Intelligence agencies, with the help of the Elite Police Force, have arrested a former commando of the Pakistan Navy, his brother and three friends for allegedly providing maps of the PNS Mehran base to the attackers.
About 10 officials of law enforcement agencies, who were in civvies and were assisted by the Elite Force, arrested five suspects from a building opposite to the Sui Northern Gas office on the Gurumangat Road, Lahore. The officials conducted the raid in broad daylight Friday (May 27) and shifted the arrested suspects to an unknown location for interrogation.
When contacted, Lahore Capital City Police Officer Ahmed Raza Tahir said the Elite Force officials were with the raiding party but were not informed about any arrest. Kamran was also picked up by the agencies after the attack on the Naval War College in Lahore in 2008, but was released after interrogations.
Locals of the area told our sources that 10 officials in civvies raided the compound (dera) located on the first floor of the two-storyed building. It was learnt that one of the five arrested persons was Kamran Ahmed, a former commando of the Special Services Group (SSG) of the Pakistan Navy. The other was his brother Zaman Ahmed. The identity of the three others could not be ascertained.
Officials handcuffed the arrested suspects and bundled them in their vehicles. However, Zaman Ahmed was not handcuffed and simply went along, eyewitnesses say.
Sources told our sources Kamran and his three unidentified ‘friends’ were arrested by officials of secret agencies, because of Kamran’s alleged regular contact with another suspect Qari Qaiser. Qaiser was arrested by secret agencies a few days ago from Satiana area of Faisalabad and is being interrogated for his involvement in the PNS Mehran attack.
An eyewitness of the raid, Mujahid, a cousin of Kamran, told our sources that Kamran was offering Nafal prayer when the 10 officials, in civvies, stormed into the building and immediately nabbed the three unidentified ‘friends’ of Kamran and waited till Kamran finished his prayer.
He said when Kamran finished praying, the officials handcuffed him. When they were bundling Kamran and his friends, Zaman questioned their identity. In response, they also took him along to their vehicle. Mujahid said he had seen the three unidentified friends of Kamran on several occasions but did not know their names.
Sources say Kamran has been arrested on charges of providing maps of the PNS Mehran Naval Base to the attackers. Secret agency officials have taken Kamran’s cellphone and are checking all records of his calls to trace his connections, sources say.
Kamran joined the Army in 1993 and was trained as an SSG commando. He served at the PNS Iqbal till 1997, after which he was transferred to the PNS Mehran Naval Base where he served till 2003. The Navy later laid him off after a court martial over a clash with a senior. During the court martial, naval officials also declared him “mentally retarded”.
According to his family, Kamran is now mentally fit and living a normal life. However, he was admitted to hospital for two years after his court martial. Kamran is married and has three sons and one daughter and is running a prize bonds business, the family said, adding that he also worked as a property dealer during the property boom five years ago.
Similarly, his brother Zaman Ahmed Malik is also married and has one daughter. Zaman was working as a contractor of the SNGPL in which Kamran used to assist him, says the family, Kamran’s family denies his involvement in terrorist networks and has filed a complaint with Ghalib Market police, claiming that Kamran and his brother were kidnapped by unidentified persons. Kamran’s mother Shamshad Bibi told our sources that officials had arrested her two sons under fake charges. She said her sons were never involved in any illegal activities and the Navy officials had terminated Kamran on fake charges. Similarly, Kamran’s father Saddaruddin told our sources his sons had no links with any banned militant organisation and were innocent. He claimed that Kamran had never visited Karachi since leaving the Pakistan Navy.
Kamran’s brother Imran, his uncle Malik Manzoor and cousin Zaheer also repeated similar statements. They said Kamran did not have any links with any terror suspects or groups and had a very small circle of friends.
Locals told our sources they had never found Kamran involved in criminal activities and that he had a limited circle of friends but enjoyed a good reputation and regularly offered prayers at the mosque.
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