KARACHI: In a major development, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the custodial death of Muttahida Qaumi Movement worker Aftab Ahmed following which the Sindh Rangers’ chief suspended an unspecified number of paramilitary soldiers and formed a probe body.

The MQM, which held dozens of peaceful demonstrations in Karachi, welcomed the move but demanded that the authorities also order a similar probe into the “extrajudicial killings” of its 56 other workers.

Ahmed, who was a coordinator of senior MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar, died in Rangers custody on Tuesday. The Rangers claimed that he died of a heart attack, but the MQM said that he was tortured to death. The exact cause of death is still not known as doctors have reserved it after a post-mortem examination.

According to a brief statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations — the official mouthpiece of the army — on Wednesday morning, the army chief ordered an “inquiry to find out truth in the case of Aftab Ahmed who died in Karachi” on Tuesday.

He also directed the authorities concerned “to ensure that justice must be done”, the statement added.

It appeared that the army chief’s clear-cut directives compelled the paramilitary force to move back from its previous stance that the death of the MQM activist was a simple case of heart attack, as it took action against an unknown number of its personnel who were apparently involved in the interrogation process.

A Rangers spokesperson said: “Rangers personnel possibly involved in the incident have been placed under suspension and a high-level inquiry committee has been set up to assess the factors which led to death of Aftab Ahmed.”

He mentioned no time frame for the completion of the inquiry, which would be conducted by a Rangers sector commander.

Also on Wednesday, Karachi Corps Commander Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhar met a three-member delegation of the MQM to listen to their grievances.

Senior MQM leader Dr Sattar told a private TV channel that he talked to the corps commander “over the phone” and requested him to help recover 167 “missing” workers of the MQM and also ordered a transparent and thorough probe into the “extrajudicial killings” of other 56 workers.

MQM welcomes army chief’s move While the MQM welcomed the army chief’s directives to ensure justice, the party took to the streets on Wednesday and held protest demonstrations on dozens of spots across the city.

The demonstrations were held on the footpaths and greenbelts near main arteries of the city as the MQM did not want to hinder the flow of vehicular traffic.

“The family of Aftab Ahmed was satisfied and happy when he was produced in court two days after his arrest as they believed that his life was no more in danger,” said MQM leader and party’s nominee for the office of Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar while speaking at a demonstration at the Numaish traffic intersection.

He said that it was a welcoming sign that the army chief took notice of the killing of Aftab Ahmed. “We hope that this time all requirements to serve justice would be met and those responsible would be given strict punishment.”

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2016