LAHORE: Member of National Assembly belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Tahira Asif passed away late Thursday night from injuries she sustained after being shot in Lahore a day earlier, DawnNews reported.

She had been hit by a bullet in lower torso and left thigh and was taken to Sheikh Zayed Hospital in a critical condition on Wednesday.

According to police, she was in a car, along with by her 25-year-old daughter and a handicapped servant, when she was shot at near Iqbal Town’s Moon Market.

Iqbal Town SP (Operations) Dr Farrukh Raza has said Ms Tahira of Wafaqi Colony, Johar Town, was going towards Karim Block when she stopped apparently to buy some fruit from a vendor.

As she opened the door of the car, two men on a motorcycle who had covered their faces with a piece of cloth approached her and tried to rob her.

Quoting a couple of witnesses, including the MNA’s servant, the SP said the suspects first snatched a gold necklace from her, but fired at her when she tried to resist them.

MQM chief Altaf Hussain had condemned the incident and claimed that the attack on the MQM lawmaker had taken place according to a planned conspiracy, saying that police was trying to portray the incident as a mugging attempt.

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and had sought a report from the Inspector General of Punjab police.

Three-day mourning announced by MQM

The MQM has announced that it will observe three days of mourning over the death of Tahira Asif.

Speaking to the media, Deputy Convener of MQM’s Rabita Committee Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui claimed that Asif has died due to targeted killing. He demanded of Punjab government to arrest the killers at the earliest.

MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that the nation’s sacrifices against the militancy will not go in vain.

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