KARACHI: Police in Karachi have arrested at least one man suspected of involvement in the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid Hussain.

"We have arrested one suspect [in connection to Zahra Shahid's murder], while there are others who will soon be arrested," Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo told reporters at a press conference Thursday evening.

“This was not a robbery; this was an incident of targeted killing,” Thebo told reporters.

“We are carrying out further investigation and interrogation, and will share facts as they are further revealed. We are not able to share further information at this stage,” he said.

“The suspect originally belongs to Hyderabad but lives in Karachi” in the DHA area, he said.

Police further claimed having uncovered clues leading to the possible arrest of further suspects.

Thebo declined to give any further information into the arrest or investigation.

Police sources had earlier told Dawn.com that up to three men have been arrested in connection to the PTI leaders murder.

The sources claimed the arrested men, said to be affiliated to a political party, have admitted to the murder of the PTI leader during interrogation.

Also read: Murder of PTI leader was targeted killing: police

Police had earlier already declared Ms Husain’s murder to be an act of targeted killing, ruling out the possibility that the PTI leader was killed while resisting a mugging attempt at her Defence house.

The PTI leader was gunned down in Defence Phase-IV on May 19, 2013.

Before choosing her political career, Ms Husain was associated with Karachi University’s international department as its faculty member. She taught there until the 1980s.

Opinion

Editorial

Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...
Missing in action
17 Mar, 2026

Missing in action

NOT exactly known for playing a proactive role in protecting the interests of Muslim nations and populations...
Risk to stability
Updated 17 Mar, 2026

Risk to stability

THE risks to Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery from the US-Israel war on Iran cannot be dismissed. Yet the...
Enrolment push
17 Mar, 2026

Enrolment push

THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad...