THE wild accusation without an iota of truth or evidence against a veteran political leader like Altaf Hussain was not only unwarranted but also against all moral, political and legal norms.

It flouted the maxim, “Audi Ateram Partem” i.e “no one should be condemned unheard”. And maxims in law are somewhat like axioms in geometry and are of the same strength as acts of parliament. Equally it goes against the Quranic verses:

“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! Some suspicion is a crime” — Al Hujurat Ayat 12’ and “When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered it with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, yet counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great” — Al Nur: 15 (Translation by Pickhall).

SYED SARDAR AHMAD MPA-elect (PS 124) Karachi

Assassination or murder? ALL those who came in contact with Zahra Shahid Hussain (Zahra Apa to hundreds of people) were touched by her innate friendliness, courage of conviction and honesty of purpose.

I had the privilege of knowing her for at least 30 years and wherever I met her, be it at a book launch, a literature festival or a wedding, I felt that she was destined to spread cheerfulness and happiness.

Even when she differed with other people’s viewpoints, she explained her own coolly and calmly but not without giving the other person an opportunity to voice his or her opinion, which was perhaps why she didn’t take part on TV shows where aggression rather than logic is, more often than not, the name of the game.

Her assassination on the eve of re-election in some polling stations of NA-250 was clearly meant to infuse fear in the hearts of those who were to vote the following day. If her killers had been the usual purse and cellphone snatchers, they would have escaped after collecting the booty, which quite clearly they didn’t touch.

In a country where assassins remain untraced and unidentified, right from the time when the country’s first prime minister was shot dead, it would be futile to expect that Zahra Shahid Hussain’s killers would be caught.

ASIF NOORANI Karachi