Family claims weekend murder of Pakistani man was politically motivated

Victim Iftikhar Khan was former member of PLMN party, mayor and district party chief.

AJMAN // Grieving family members who believe the murder of their kinsman was politically motivated have said they are still waiting for answers after he died on Saturday morning.

Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, a former member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PLMN) party, was shot dead in front of the Rashidiya tower while he was waiting in his car for his brother. There were five holes in Mr Khan’s car, his nephew said, adding that further information on the attack was slow in arriving.

“We heard some suspects have been arrested by the police but we have no further details,” said Irfan Akhtar, Mr Khan’s nephew, who works with a UAE-based telecommunications firm. “We have been assured that the killers would be apprehended and justice would be rendered. However, we are shocked that this happened in the UAE, which is considered very safe.”

Mr Khan, 45, had been living in the Emirates since 2008. He had gone to a labour camp with his brother Zulfikar to visit a sick worker. Mr Khan was waiting in the car for his brother, who had gone inside, when someone fired five shots at him, Mr Akhtar said.

“As soon as Zulfikar heard the gunshots he came running out but there was nobody at the scene,” he said.

Police had arrested an unspecified number of suspects in the case who were being questioned by the Criminal Investigations Department, a security official who asked not to be identified said yesterday. Jamil Ahmed Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, confirmed that the attack had taken place and said his government would assist in the inquiry in any way possible. He is not related to the victim.

“The crime happened in the UAE and their investigative authorities are looking into the matter,” the ambassador said. “The Pakistani government will co-operate with the UAE investigation and provide details that they would need or request.”

Ajman police declined to comment on the case, saying that any information released would alter the course of investigation. The victim’s family suspected the former mayor have fallen victim to a long-standing feud with a rival political party. Mr Iftikhar Khan had previously been a local party chief in the Haripur district, which is 200 kilometers from Peshawar, the nearest major city.

“He was planning on contesting as a PMLN candidate in the national assembly elections in Pakistan next year and we believe that he may have been killed by political opponents,” Mr Akhtar said. “He was very popular with the people and this is possibly why he was targeted.”

The family had migrated to the Emirates because of threats from rival political parties, Mr Akhtar said. He claimed there had been previous attempts on the life of Mr Iftikhar Khan and on his relatives. He was managing a construction and a maintenance firm with his brother in Ajman when he was gunned down.

“We cannot believe what has happened,” Mr Akhtar said. “His wife and three children are shattered by his death. We are waiting for the police to finish its investigations and release the body so we can go back to Pakistan for his funeral.”

According to the Pakistani press, Iftikhar Khan was the main suspect in the September 2008 murder of Akhtar Nawaz Khan, a former provincial minister from the rival Awami National Party.

"He was framed for that murder," Mr Akhtar said. "He was given exemption by the court because he was in the UAE at the time of the murder. He was allowed to travel on bail."

* with additional reporting by Wafa Issa and Nadeem Hanif