‘Targeted killings put question mark over efficacy of NAP’

Published May 28, 2016
MOURNERS try to comfort wailing relatives of the two victims of targeted killing before their funeral prayers on Friday.—Online
MOURNERS try to comfort wailing relatives of the two victims of targeted killing before their funeral prayers on Friday.—Online

KARACHI: The Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen and Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Friday condemned the targeted killing of two young men, including a government official, near the Nad-i-Ali Imambargah roundabout in Jaffar-i-Tayyar Society late Thursday night.

“It was a targeted attack, but it is yet to be ascertained if the killings were carried out on sectarian or political grounds,” said Karachi-East DIG Dr Kamran Fazal Siddiqui.

The victims belonged to the Shia community and were MQM supporters. In separate statements, leaders of the MQM and the MWM said unabated attacks had put a question mark over the effectiveness and direction of the National Action Plan (NAP).

Amir Haider, 35, Asim Hussain, 38, and Hassan, 25, were sprayed with bullets by armed motorcyclists in Jaffar-i-Tayyar Society late Thursday night when the area was plunged into darkness by a power outage. All the three victims were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where Haider and Hussain were pronounced dead on arrival, while Hassan was admitted for treatment.

Hussain was a businessman while Haider was a government servant who also used to drive taxi to earn his livelihood.On Friday, the MWM staged protest demonstrations at Malir Kala Board and Khoja mosque in Kharadar against the killing of the people belonging to the Shia sect and to show solidarity with their leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who has been on hunger strike in Islamabad for the past three weeks against the sectarian killings.

Meanwhile, the funeral of Haider and Hussain was held at the Imambargah near Malir Kala Board. Among others, leaders of the MWM and the MQM attended the funeral.

MQM spokesperson Aminul Haq told Dawn that Hussain had been their party worker since 2004, while Haider and Hassan were their supporters. Demanding arrest of the killers, the spokesperson said that last week their party worker Fahad Zaki was shot dead, while their supporter Kamran was wounded in Saudabad.

MQM lawmaker from the area Sajid Ahmed said that the law-enforcers were arresting their workers despite the killing of their party workers in frequent targeted attacks.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday evening, MQM central leader Dr Farooq Sattar said this was the second murder of their party worker in the same area during the past one week. He said it was ‘surprising’ to note that these killings were being taken place at a time when law enforcement agencies were restoring peace to the city.

Dr Sattar said the killings were not only a “conspiracy” against the law enforcement agencies but also a move to push the MQM to the wall. He blamed their rival Mohajir Qaumi Movement for the frequent killing of Muttahida workers.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016

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