Mullah Omar’s close relative nabbed in Karachi

KARACHI - Pakistani security agencies have claimed another prized catch as they reportedly nabbed the son-in-law of Afghan Taliban’s supreme commander Mullah Omar here on Thursday.

According to sources, Motasim Agha Jan was arrested during a raid on a house in the Ehsan Abad area of the city.

Two close aides of Jan were also arrested during the raid, The Nation reports.

All the three persons were later shifted to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.

Several top extremist leaders have been nabbed in Karachi in the recent past, which suggests that the port city has become a favourite hiding place for the fleeing militants.

Last month, the Afghan Taliban’s second in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was nabbed in Karachi in a joint operation conducted by US and Pakistani officials.

According to a British intelligence official, Karachi’s distance from the Afghan border makes it a perfect hideout for the extremist leaders like Mullah Omar, the Taliban chief, who is also believed to be hiding in the Pakistan’s financial capital.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city is home to over 18 million people. The population includes about 2.5 million Pashtuns, the largest Pashtun population in the country outside the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Mayor of the city Syed Mustafa Kamal termed Karachi as Taliban’s “revenue engine”, as the insurgents are involved in organised crimes such as kidnapping, robbery and drug trafficking.

Kamal also pointed out that the Taliban would never intensify violence in the city in order to safeguard its ’supply lines’. (ANI)