KHAIRPUR, Oct 9: A complete shutdown was observed in Khairpur on the call of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and the Sunni action committee on Wednesday over murder of a local ASWJ activist.

The activist, Ismail Rajput, had gone missing in the last week of September and his body with torture marks was found on Oct 2, his party colleagues claimed. The party had given a shutdown call saying that several attempts had been made on his life in the recent past but the authorities concerned failed to ensure his safety.

Respondent positively to the protest call, all traders, shopkeepers and businessmen kept their outlets and offices in Shahi Bazaar, Ayub Market, Sarafa Bazaar, Fruit and Vegetable Market and other public places closed from dawn to dusk.

Business, commercial and trade activities at Mariam Taup Chowk, Civic Centre and Luqman also remained suspended throughout the day.

Sindh ASWJ chief Syed Paryal Shah along with Maulana Abdul Karim Marri held a press conference at the local press club in the evening and gave details about the activist’s murder.

Attaullah Rajput and Aslam Rajput, the brother and a cousin of the deceased, respectively, were also present.

Mr Shah said Ismail Rajput was prominent and active member of the party who had been targeted in several armed attacks in the past before he went missing about 15 days ago. He said a scout organisation found his body lying on the railway tracks opposite a government high school in the city on Oct 2 and since no one turned up to claim the body, it buried the activist in the local graveyard.

He claimed that there were torture marks on the body.Mr Rajput’s relatives told the media that they had started a search for him the day he went missing. The search ended only when they came to know that the scout organisation had found the body. They said the organization showed them photos of the body that it had buried.

The AWSJ leaders said they believed Mr Rajput was actually kidnapped by the party’s opponents. “They subjected him to intense torture till his death and then threw the body on the railway tracks,” they alleged.

They demanded an inquiry into the kidnapping and murder of the activists and called for stern action against the killers.

A partial strike was also observed in Piryaloi town of the district.

Khairpur SSP Asif Aijaz ordered deployment of police and Rangers personnel at sensitive points across the district including Punj Hatti, Luqman, Punj Gulla and Chatti Chowk to meet any eventuality during the protest.

The protest, however, remained peaceful.