At least, 58 VIPs, politicians, police officer, Nazims, and religious scholars, office-bearers of religious organisations of both sects are on the hit list of terrorists, who wanted to kill them, it was stated in a confidential circular issued to the DIGs of Multan, Lahore, Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, and Faisalabad.
IN CATEGORY - I LIST: former NA speaker Syed Fakhar Imam, his younger brother Faisal Imam, and cousin Dr Syed Khawar Ali Shah, former MPA Shujaat Hasnain Qureshi, Professor Mazhar Hussain Gilani, Muntazir Mehdi, advocate; Pervez Aftab, Ishtiaq Hussain Jafri, Multan DIG Talat Mehmood, Vehari DSP Zafar Dogar, and others.
IN CATEGORY - II LIST: Syed Nazim Hussain Shah, Dewan Ashiq Hussain Bukhari, Shafqat Hasnain Bhutta, Allama Taqi Naqvi, Qari Hanif Jhulandari, Syed Mukhtar Shah, and Punjab Minister Hussain Jehanian Gardezi.
"We have received a list of important persons, who are on the hit-list of terrorists of both sects from the Punjab IGP to protect their lives, and keep vigilant eyes on the people very close to them, and the IGP has issued instructions to replace the fresh list with old one", said a police officer on condition of anonymity.
Fresh lists of two categories were prepared in the light on intelligence agencies, statements of arrested terrorists and now all the DIGs have been alerted to take measures for the security of these people in their respective area, he added.
It is expected that new wave of terrorism may emerge from Sialkot bomb blast followed by Multan and Lahore explosions that have claimed more than 70 lives in the first 10 days of October gave a wake-up call to security agencies.
The Punjab IGP office in his top confidential order asked all the regional DIGs to revise their already prepared lists of VIPs potential targets under the new criterion drawn up by the Punjab additional IGP/CID, revealed a top confidential order, adding the VIPs could be the potential target of terrorists' hit lists are 58, including 20 in Priority - I and 38 in priority - II.
Under the criteria, the persons, who have been reflected on the hit-list are include particular, specific information divulged by them during interrogation would fall in priority-I.
The names of those leaders, officers about whom there are specified intelligence reports on the basis of their sectarian affairs would fall in priority-II. In district Vehari Saddar, police SDPO/DSP Zafar Iqbal Dogar (Sunni) and Burewala Saddar SHO Qazi Abdul Basit (Sunni) were found on hit list of terrorists.
THE DISTRICT LODHRAN REFLECTED TWO VIPS ON HIT LIST WERE: District Nazim Abdur Rehman Kanju (Sunni) and Rajan Sultan of Kehror Pacca (Sunni).
At least, 38 VIPs have been found on hit list under priority-II, including 6 in Multan, 8 in Khanewal, 6 in Pakpattan, 7 in Vehari and 9 in Lodhran.
IN MULTAN, VIPS INCLUDE: ex-MPA Syed Nazim Hussein Shah, tehsil Jalalpur Pirwala Nazim Dewan Ashiq Hussein Bokhari, Tahafuz-e-Anjuman-e-Azadari President Shafqat Hussein Butha , seminary Makhzanul Aloom Principal Allama Taqi Naqvi, seminary Khairul Madarass principal, and chief of Shah Shamas shrine Syed Zahid Hussein Shamsi.
IN KHANEWAL DISTRICT, THEY INCLUDE: MPA Pir Mukhtar Hussein Shah of Haveli Koranga , Punjab Minister Literacy Syed Hussein Jehania Gardezi, Dr Sharafat Hussein Butha , ex-MPA Pir Arif Zaman Qureshi, Asood Ali of city civil lines, Dr Khadim Hussein Dhillon , Maulana Abdul Khaliq , Maulana Rabnawaz Heraj.
IN PAKPATTAN DISTRICT, VIPS INCLUDE: Sufi Muhammad Aslam of Arifwala, Maulana Abdul Wahab of Arifwala , Hafiq Abdul Ghafar of Arifwala, Syed Munawar Hussein Zaidi, Syed Sajjid Hussein Bokhari, Syed Hassan Mehdi Zaidi of Arifwala.
IN VEHARI DISTRICT INCLUDE: Chaudhry Irshad Ahmed, Fidda Hussein, Khadim Hussein, Riaz Ahmed, Ghazanfar Ali, Mazhar Abbass, Muhammad Abbass Tahir, all belongs to tehsil Mailsi.
IN DISTRICT LODHRAN THEY INCLUDE: Ghulam Murtaza Shah Ward No 2 city, Dr Zaman Raza Ward No 2 city, Syed Sher Shah of Kehror Pacca, Manzoor Hussein of Kehror Pacca, Syed Asghar Ali of Kehror Pacca, Mian Manzoor Ahmed, Mohsin Naqvi of Dunyapur, and Qari Muhammad Moan of Ward No 2 Lodhran city.