HYDERABAD: The Tando Allahyar police have picked up a suspect who had done recce before Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan activist Khalilur Rehman alias Bholu Khanzada, was shot dead at the gate of the sessions court on Jan 21. Khanzada had arrived on a motorbike to attend the hearing of his case pertaining to the Nov 18, 2020 murder of Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party vice chairman Altaf Jaskani.

Initial probe suggests that Khanzada was shot dead by Altaf Jaskani’s brother Asad who, along with his armed friends sitting in a car, was present there.

A police source said on Tuesday that the recce suspect was closely associated with Asad, who himself was wounded in firing allegedly resorted to by his friends.

The source citing initial investigation said that four suspects were involved in the incident. “The [recce] suspect was to flee with Asad on a motorbike (parked at a preset location). The motorbike and the car carrying the assailants were to go in different directions,” the source added.

Asad was caught by police when he was wounded in firing after which the recce suspect drove up to the location where the other motorbike was parked. He then met the assailants, who were present at some other location, and informed them about Asad’s arrest, they said.

Meanwhile, Tando Allahyar SSP Rukhsar Ahmed Khuhawar has been removed and City DSP Irfan Ali Shah suspended in the wake of the Jan 21 incident. According to the DSP’s suspension order, an inquiry into his conduct is to be held. The SSP had been holding the post for over three years.

Farooq Ahmed Bijarani has been posted as the Tando Allahyar SSP.

STP claims Khanzda not killed by Asad

Meanwhile, STP chairman Dr Qadir Magsi has demanded a judicial inquiry into the Jan 21 episode. He claimed that ‘shooters’ were brought from Karachi and one of their bullets hit Khanzada, who died and Asad sustained wounds in the attack.

Dr Magsi held a press conference at STP House here on Tuesday, and demanded that names of Asad and his brothers, Afzal and Zeeshan, be cleared in the murder case. He alleged that PPP was protecting MQM-P in the matter.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2022