SAHIWAL: Veteran politician Rana Ahmed Ali, father of PML-N MPA Mian Naveed Ali, was shot dead at his home on Hota Road, Pakpattan city, on Friday.

Police found his body in the bedroom with multiple gunshots in his head. Later, a team took four to five people including Rana Ahmed Ali’s gunmen into custody for interrogation.

District Police Officer Naseebullah Khan told the media that they had done forensic analysis and screening of the murder place.

Police sent the body for postmortem to the DHQ hospital. They suspected that the politician had been slain in the dead of night.

Rescue 1122 personnel said they received an emergency call just before Friday prayers and found the politician dead in his bedroom.

The news of Rana Ahmed Ali’s killing spread like wildfire in the city and people from all walks of life including political workers and local leaders of political parties gathered at his residence.

He was a vocal politician who was known for mixing with commoners at bathiks and tea stalls. He remained loyal to the PML-N and his son Mian Naveed twice became an MPA on the party ticket from Pakpattan in 2013 and 2018.

Being a middle-class businessman, Rana Ali had flour mills in Rahim Yar Khan and remained president and vice president of the provincial chapter of the Punjab Flour Mills Association.

Political figures Mian Ata Muhammad Manika, Rao Hashim, ex- District Nazim, and Rao Mubashir Ali (PTI) condemned Rana Ahmed Ali’s murder and demanded arrest of the killers.

His funeral prayer will be offered at 9am at DC Office on Saturday (today). Mian Naveed said his father had no enmity.

Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz took notice of the incident and directed the IGP to arrest the killers at the earliest.

Published in Dawn,May 7th, 2022