ISLAMABAD: A suspected terrorist affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), wanted by the anti-terrorism courts (ATC) in the assassinations of minorities affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti and a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) special prosecutor, may be in the custody of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The suspect, Abdullah Umar, had been in judicial custody since May 2014, until an Islamabad ATC granted him pre-arrest bailin June 2014 in the murder trial of FIA special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali.

On June 24, 2015, when the case was fixed before the court to frame charges against the suspects Mr Umar, Adnan Adil and Hammad Adil Mr Umar`s father told the court he had been missing since June 20.

Mr Umar`s wife Zainab Khan filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking the recovery of her husband the same year.

The Margalla police have recently revealed, during the hearing of Ms Khan`s petition, that Mr Umar `might have been detained somewhere by the ISI or any other intelligence agency`.

IHC Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi subsequently issued notices to the ISI and the defence secretary seeking their replies.

The police arrested Mr Umar from the Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital in Islamabad following the May 3, 2013, attack on Ali, who was on his way to a Rawalpindi ATC to submit a charge sheet against for-mer president Gen Pervez Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The case began on June 25, 2013, af ter Mr Umar`s arrest. The other suspects in the murder were arrested by the police on Aug 31, 2013.

Mr Umar was arrested almost a month after the prosecutor`s murder. He was paralysed below the waist at the time of his arrest, after a bullet bred by the prosecutor`s guard hit his spinal column.

However, the suspect`s father, retired Lt Col Khalid Mehmood Abbasi lodged an FIR with the Ratta Amral police in Rawalpindi saying his son was shot by robbers.

A joint investigation team constituted to locate Mr Umar claimed he was involved in terrorism, including Shahbaz Bhatti and Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali`s assassinations. Its report, submitted before the court by Senior Superintendent of Police Sajid Kiani stated: `Abdullah Umar was active member of proscribed TTP and is involved in the above mentioned high profile cases and has beendeclared proclaimed as absconder by the ATC and it is apprehension that the accused has [hidden] himself at some unknown place to avoid appearance before the trial court... JIT is in constant contact with the political agents of Tribal Areas to trace [his] whereabouts.

The report said Mr Umar was wanted in FIR No.94, dated March 2, 2012, for assassinating Bhatti, an advocate for the reform of Pakistan`s blasphemy laws.

Two assassins fired at the minister`s car, shooting him eight times, before scattering pamphlets calling him a `Christian infidel` that were signed by the `Taliban al-Qaeda Punjab`.

The other FIR, No.223 dated May 3, 2013, accuses Mr Umar of killing Ali. In addition to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in which five T TP members, two high ranking police officials and Mr Musharraf were suspects, Ali was also allegedly dealing with the Mumbai attacks case, the Haj corruption case and other high profile cases.