THIS is with reference to the report ‘Five convicts acquitted in Perween case’ (Nov 22) regarding the acquittal of the persons who were sentenced in the Perween Rahman murder case. Perween was my student and a colleague, and I am fully acquainted with the work that she was doing during the period before she was killed.

In my opinion, it is important not so much as to who pulled the trigger, but as to who ordered the assassination. Her work was providing residents of goths in District West of Karachi with maps and information on the basis of which they could acquire legal tenure. As a result, it was becoming impossible for real estate developers to acquire land through coercion or bribery. The scale of operations of the lobby can be judged by the fact that one project on Super Highway is spread over 186.15 square kilometres, which is three times the size of Manhattan, while another on the same highway is 47sq.km.

Therefore, it is important that the persons who actually organised this killing should be identified and punished on a priority basis.

Arif Hasan
Ex-chairperson, Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2022