Islamabad, May 28 (IANS) Investigators probing the kidnapping and killing of former ISI official Khalid Khwaja have questioned prominent Pakistani TV anchor Hamid Mir, who, the murdered man’s son says had passed on information to the Taliban that led to his father’s death, a media report said Friday.
Mir, who was questioned Thursday, flatly denied the charge, Dawn reported, quoting sources.
On May 25, Osama Khalid had lodged a complaint against Mir, a man named Usman Punjabi and a militant group called Asian Tigers alleging they were involved in his father’s murder.
During the interrogation, the sources said, Mir denied knowing Usman Punjabi, one of the alleged abductors of Khwaja, or talking to him on the phone.
He also denied that it was his voice on an audio tape that is in circulation purporting to be a telephone conversation with the Taliban on Khwaja.
The sources quoted the investigators as saying that they would now quiz the complainant, Osama Khalid, to clear some ‘doubtful queries, adding that he had not approached the police since lodging his complaint.
A request made to him to furnish evidence, including the audio tape had not been complied with.
The sources said that in his complaint Osama Khalid had said his father had gone to tribal areas at Mir’s urging.
Khwaja and two others were seized by a group calling Asian Tigers in March from North Waziristan. Khwaja’s body was found in the area earlier this month.
Soon after the tape emerged, the Taliban dismissed it as ‘fake’.
‘We condemn the reliability of this tape since there was no conversation between us and Hamid Mir. Although we often talk to different media persons, this seems to be a conspiracy to destroy the reputation of the mujahideen and the brave people of this country,’ a Taliban statement said.
