Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi suggested on Monday that their law enforcement agencies suspected India’s involvemet in the targeted killing of ISI henchman Amir Sarfaraz, commonly known as Tamba. The incident occurred just over five years after Tamba’s acquittal in the 2013 murder case of Indian death-row prisoner Sarabjit Singh.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, where Sarfaraz resided, Naqvi pointed out that the fatal attack on Tamba by two motorcycle-borne assailants adhered to a discernible pattern. He further elaborated that there had been similar suspicions of Indian involvement in four other murders on Pakistani soil. Naqvi emphasized the need to await the conclusion of the investigation before making further statements regarding the matter.
Despite these serious allegations, there has been no response from the Indian government regarding the accusation leveled by Pakistan’s interior minister.
According to police reports, Tamba was at his residence in Lahore’s Islampura neighborhood when the assailants arrived. They shot him at close range immediately after he answered the doorbell, resulting in his demise at a local hospital due to the severity of his injuries.
Following a complaint filed by Tamba’s brother, Junaid Sarfraz, the police registered a case against the unidentified duo of bikers allegedly involved in the attack. The Punjab government subsequently referred the case to the police’s counter-terrorism department, an entity associated with the ISI.
The history between Tamba and Sarabjit Singh dates back to April 2013 when Tamba, along with his alleged accomplice Mudasir Munir, fatally attacked Sarabjit Singh with bricks and iron rods at Kot Lakhpat prison. Sarabjit Singh had been sentenced to death on charges of espionage and orchestrating bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990, resulting in the deaths of 14 individuals.
Sarabjit Singh’s demise occurred two months after the execution of Afzal Guru, convicted as the mastermind behind the 2001 Parliament attack in India.
In a surprising turn of events on December 14, 2018, a sessions court in Lahore acquitted both Tamba and Munir of the charges related to Sarabjit Singh’s murder, ordering their release following the retractions of statements by all witnesses.
Tamba, aged 45 and unmarried, resided with his siblings and worked as a spice dealer. He was believed to have close associations with Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
