ISLAMABAD: A social media activist was stabbed to death in the capital, police said on Monday.

The victim was identified as Mohammad Bilal Khan, a native of Abbottabad. His uncle was also injured in the attack.

Khan and his uncle, Ehteshamul Haq, were attacked by some people at G-9/4, police said. He was stabbed several times with a sharp-edged weapon, probably a dagger. His uncle was also injured.

People coming out of a mosque located nearby spotted Haq screaming for help.

They put him in a taxi and took him to a hospital. The injured informed the people that his nephew had also been injured and was lying nearby.

The people started searching for him and in the meantime police also reached the spot and shifted the blogger to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bilal Khan had returned from Abbottabad when he was called by unidentified people from Bhara Kahu to G-9/4 and killed

Station House Officer (SHO) Karachi Company Sub-Inspector Habibur Rehman told Dawn that the blogger had received 17 stab wounds on the upper part of his body. His uncle suffered two stab wounds and was discharged from the hospital.

The motive behind the murder is yet to be established and investigation is in progress, the SHO said.

A case was registered against unidentified people on a complaint of the deceased’s father Obaidullah on charges of murder, attempted murder and under section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act.

Talking to Dawn, Obaidullah said he along with his son and cousin (Haq) had come to Islamabad from their hometown.

He said when they reached Bhara Kahu his son received two calls with the interval of about five minutes.

“My son told me that his friends were calling to meet him.”

Obaidullah said his son and Haq left Bhara Kahu and during Isha prayers the latter called and informed him that they had been injured in an attack at G-9. Shortly afterward, he added, he reached the hospital and found his son dead.

“My son was doing PhD in Sharia from International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI). People told me that my son was a blogger and social media activist.”

He added: “I only knew he used mobile phone and Facebook,” adding that he did not know about his son’s activities on the social media.

He said his son had come to Abbottabad during the holidays.

“We have no enmity or dispute with anyone,” he said.

Replying to a question, he expressed ignorance about any threat to his son.

The police have taken over belongings of the deceased, including his mobile phone, to examine them and get a clue to the killers and establish the reason behind the murder, he added.

Some social media activists and bloggers told Dawn that Khan was also operating a channel on Youtube channel, claiming that he had been under threat since long.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2019