Pakistanis arrest wanted Islamic militant

ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces have arrested a prominent Islamic militant wanted in connection with the 1997 killing of a senior police officer, police and intelligence officials said on Tuesday.

The suspect, identified as Usman Choto, was a senior member of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group and was arrested in the southern city of Karachi on Sunday, said the officials, who declined to be identified.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said he had no knowledge of the arrest.

The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is a militant Sunni Muslim group and has been involved in a series of attacks on members of the minority Shi'ite community.

The government banned the group in August 2001 as part of efforts to end sectarian violence.

Choto was the third prominent member of the group arrested since late September.

He was wanted in connection with various attacks including the killing in May 1997 of senior police official Ashraf Marth in Punjab province, Punjab police said.

Marth was a relative of former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has also been implicated in attacks on Western targets in Pakistan including the murder of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, and in two attempts to kill President Pervez Musharraf.