KARACHI - A senior PPP leader, who served as adviser to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1994, was picked up by unidentified men when he was present outside his house in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Tuesday.

Mushtaq Bhutto, a resident of Baseer Apartments in Block 17 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar, was present outside his house when some unidentified men came in a car and took him away at gunpoint. Mushtaq was a close aide of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He served as adviser to Benazir during PPP’s government in 1994.

Mushtaq is not the first PPP leader who has gone missing mysteriously in recent days. Earlier on Saturday, personnel of security agencies took away former Karachi division president of the People’s Students Federation (PSF) Faisal Shaikh. Shaikh was arrested during a raid on his residence in North Nazimabad. Sources privy to the development said that security agencies had handed over Shaikh to the police for legal formalities, but they had not given any explanation for his arrest. Mushtaq’s family has informed Shahrah-e-Faisal police about the incident, but no case had been registered till Tuesday evening when this report was filed.

After the complaint, District East SSP Faisal Abdullah and other senior officials of the police visited the missing PPP leader’s house and inquired about the incident. They assured his family that he would be recovered soon.

Police officials said they were investigating the case from different angles. “We are trying to ascertain the motive for the incident,” said SHO Raja Tariq. “It could be a kidnapping case or some agency might have taken him into custody,” he said. He said that police were trying to establish the link between the disappearance of PPP leaders Faisal Shaikh and Mushtaq Bhutto.

He said that both leaders could have been picked by the same group or the law or intelligence agency.

According to the sources, Shaikh was picked up by security agencies for allegedly facilitating terrorist groups.