Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Mutilated body of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Superintendent of Police (SP) Tahir Khan Dawar, who went missing from Islamabad on October 27, has reportedly been found in eastern Nangarhar province near the Pak-Afghan border.

Alleged pictures of his disfigured body circulating on the social media show that he was ruthlessly tortured before being killed by the unidentified men, with severe torture marks found on his face and body. The killers then dumped his body near Momand Dara area of Nangarhar.

In a written statement purportedly found alongside the body, the IS Khorasan claimed responsibility for the killing.

MNA from North Waziristan Mohsin Dawar confirmed on his Twitter handle that he identified from the pictures that the body was of Tahir Khan Dawar. “Shocked to hear that abducted SP Rural Tahir Dawar has been murdered, explaining this in the same old good and bad Taliban drama will not work anymore.We demand answers. His abductors have to be made answerable,” he twitted.

However, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi declined to confirm the report.When asked by reporters at a ceremony in Islamabad, he declined to comment over the veracity of the social media reports, saying it was a sensitive matter.”It is the matter of national security and someone’s life, and cannot be discussed on an open forum,” he said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Mehsud said they were in touch with the Afghan government through relevant channels.He said it was not possible to confirm the veracity of these reports at present. However, an official statement would be issued in case of its confirmation, he added.

Published in Daily Times, November 14^th 2018.