MIANWALI: Residents of Quaidabad rejected repeated calls from local clerics and some political workers to shut business to show their support for the killer of a bank manager on Thursday.

Traders continued their business whereas a large number of people attended the funeral of Mailk Mohammad Imran Hanif at Jauharabad, who was killed by the bank guard in the name of blasphemy.

On Wednesday, National Bank guard (a retired army personnel) Ahmed Nawaz shot dead branch manager Imran Hanif at the office and later turned himself to the police where he made a statement about the allegation of blasphemy.

The funeral prayers for the banker held at Jauharabad were attended by thousands of people. The prayer leader said at the funeral the deceased belonged to a Sunni sect family and was a true lover of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

A footage doing the rounds shows that those in the audience confirmed the prayer leader’s statement by raising their hands.

Quaidabad Station House Officer Arshad Abbas told Dawn the Quaidabad city remained calm and no strike was observed by traders. He said investigation was ongoing.

Traders leader Haji Fazal Khaliq Khan told Dawn that the brutal murder was the outcome of official issues as the manager had once dismissed the guard from service due to his abusive behaviour with bank customers and staffers but the security guard managed his reinstatement though political interference.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2020