Pakistan orders enquiry into Nasiruddin Haqqani's killing

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ordered a probe into the killing of the eldest son of the chief of the dreaded Haqqani network that has been blamed for attacks on the Indian Embassy and US forces in Aghanistan, a report said today.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered the investigation into the death of Nasiruddin Haqqani, the son of the Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani.

He was killed by two gunmen riding a motorcycle while returning home from a mosque in a car in Barakahu area on Monday.

Nasir asked the police yesterday to probe whether the victim was indeed Nasiruddin and whether he was killed by Afghan intelligence agency operatives, the Dawn daily reported.

The minister has also asked the police to find out who took away the body to Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency from the spot of the shootout.

The minister also raised the question on how Nasiruddin was residing in the capital for the last four years without the knowledge of the authorities' concerned, the daily quoted sources as saying.

Inspector General of Police neither confirmed nor denied that police have received the directives from the minister.

Sources close to the investigation said that the operation of the attackers was so swift that people who were providing security to Nasiruddin, who was in his early 30s, from a distance could not get time to retaliate.

However, they managed to shift the body to his house at Shahpur in Barakahu, the report said.

Police claim they do not know the identity and the whereabouts of the 'other unknown person' injured in the attack along with a baker and do not even know whether the man is still alive.

The Haqqani network is considered the most dangerous Taliban faction in Afghanistan.

Nasiruddin was mainly involved in "dialogue-related affairs" of the group. Three more of Jalaluddin's sons have also been killed. According to the US, Nasiruddin was a key financier and emissary of the dreaded network.

The Haqqanis have been blamed for high-profile attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian Embassy that killed 54 people. The network was also believed to be behind an attack on the Indian mission in Jalalabad.

Nasiruddin's brother Sirajuddin currently heads the network. The Haqqani network is considered to be close to the Inter-Services Intelligence and the Pakistani military.