FIA summons Tasneem Haider in Arshad Sharif’s murder case

LONDON: Pakistani investigators looking into the killing of Arshad Sharif in Kenya have sent notice to Syed Tasneem Haider Shah in London asking hi, to appear before the fact-finding team to give evidence in support of his claim that Nasir Butt was in touch with Waqar Ahmed and Khurram Ahmad, who was driving Arshad Sharif on the night of 23rd October when he was killed.

The two-member team - comprising FIA director Athar Wahid and IB deputy director general Omar Shahid Hamid – have written to Tasneem Haider Shah to appear before the FIA on 29th of November 2022 to give evidence that he has claimed to have.

The FIA team decided to contact Tasneem Haider after he claimed that Arshad Sharif’s I-phone and laptop have reached London and are with Nasir Butt. Tasneem Haider Shah has alleged that PML-N UK Senior Vice President Nasir Butt had links with Waqar Ahmad and Khurram Ahmad - the two brothers who hosted Arshad Sharif in Kenya and sponsored his visa to Kenya on the request of Karachi Kings CEO Tariq Wasi. He said that Nasir Butt had told him about these links.

In his response Nasir Butt has said that Tasneem Haider is a liar who is making these false allegations out of a personal dispute. The FIA letter to Tasneem Haider Shah requests him to attend before the fact-finding team conducting proceedings into the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif.

The FIA letter to Tasneem Haider Shah says: “Reportedly you have claimed that you have important relevant information/evidence regarding murder of senior journalist Muhammad Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

Therefore you are requested to appear before the fact-finding team, regarding provision of the relevant information/evidence if you have any on 29 November 2022 at 11am at FIA HQ G-9/4 Islamabad.”

The letter has been sent to Tasneem Haider on his WhatsApp number and it is understood his lawyer Mahtab Anwar Aziz, of Central Chambers Law, also has a copy of the letter. When asked whether Tasneem Haider will appear before the fact-finding committee to give evidence, Mahtab Anwar Aziz didn’t answer.

Syed Tasneem Haider Shah had claimed sitting next to his lawyer that the assassination plot against PTI chief Imran Khan and slain senior journalist Arshad Sharif was made by the PMLN leadership in London but he accepted he has no evidence of any kind to prove his claims and that PM Imran Khan’s shooter has reached Kenya and belongings of Arshad Sharif have reached London too.

He also claimed that Waqar and Khurram were in touch with PMLN UK senior vice president Nasir Butt. Tasneem Haider initially claimed he has evidence to prove murder conspiracy which he has handed over to the police but during an interview with this publication he denied having any evidence of the conspiracy and said he himself was the evidence.

Mahtab Anwar Aziz also claimed to have given evidence to the police but accepted that the police had so far taken no action on his evidence. It has also emerged that nearly two weeks before Tasneem Haider made allegations against Nawaz Sharif and Nasir Butt at Mahtab Aziz’s office in East London, it was Mahtab Anwar Aziz who registered a complaint with the police just a few hours after Imran Khan was attacked in Wazirabad and he named Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz for being behind the conspiracy.

After Tasneem Haider said Nasir Butt was linked with Waqar and Khurram in Kenya, he was asked if he had reported about this connection to the Kenyan Police. He replied: “They are so corrupt that they will not take any action against Nasir Butt.”

Tasneem Haider has been in touch with PTI Punjab leader Omar Sarfraz Cheema who arranged his Zoom meeting with the Punjab JIT.