Banaras Khan—AFP
Interior Ministry officials skeptical of Balochistan Police’s claims.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered the formation of a two-member committee to inquire into seemingly competing claims from different law enforcement agencies taking credit for the recovery on March 8 of Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer who was abducted from Lahore over four years ago.
Khan “has taken notice of the multiple reported versions of the events that led to the recovery of Salmaan Taseer’s son,” a senior Interior Ministry official told Newsweek. Another official said the committee had been directed to submit a report of its findings within two days.
Balochistan Police has claimed credit for the intelligence-led operation that led to the rescue and safe recovery of Shahbaz Taseer. However, according to Interior Ministry officials speaking on condition of anonymity, in their understanding, it was the Frontier Corps and the military’s Inter-Services Intelligence directorate that took the lead on Taseer’s recovery.
Khan “has said that in this era of technology, when any Pakistani can get their news through print, broadcast or social media, there is no need to hide the true facts,” one of the officials said.