Terrorists involved in Shahbaz Taseer kindnapping among six killed in Sheikhupura encounter

SHEIKHUPURA: Three among the six suspected terrorists killed in an encounter in Sheikhupura on Saturday were involved in the abduction of Shahbaz Taseer, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) sources revealed.

According to CTD sources, the identified terror suspects, Haji Mohammad, Sajid and Riaz Hussain were either directly involved or facilitated in the kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer.

Authorities meanwhile are working on identifying the rest of the terrorists killed in the encounter, the sources said.

Shahbaz Taseer had been kidnapped from Lahore on Aug 26, 2011 near his company’s head office, a few months after the assassination of his father Salman Taseer at the hands of his bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri. Shahbaz was recovered from Balochistan earlier this year.

CTD personnel had placed a security check at Faisalabad Bypass Road after being tipped of the terrorists' presence. The law enforcers had signaled to a car and two motorcycles to pull over, but they had opened fire. The retaliatory fire by CTD personnel killed six terrorists belonging to a banned organisation.