HYDERABAD: Almost all major business and commercial centres including Saddar, Canton­ment, Tilak Incline, Market Tower, Timber Market, Lajpat Road and Risala Road in the city remained closed on Thursday amid fear and tension caused by the late Wednesday evening killing of Syed Hassan Mujtaba Zaidi aka Kaka, an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and head of the Anjuman-i-Haidery (a Shia association that organises the main Ashura procession in the city).

Though it is widely believed to be a ‘targeted’ attack, it is yet to be established whether Mr Zaidi was killed on political or sectarian grounds.

Soon after his killing late Wednesday evening, shops and commercial outlets in Tilak Incline and several other localities were closed as the incident sowed fear across the city and sent a wave of shock and anger in the local chapter of the MQM as well as the members of Shia sect.

Mr Zaidi’s funeral was attended by MQM coordination committee members Ashfaq Mangi and Shakir Ali, members of the Sindh Assembly, and a large number of party activists and supporters.

The funeral prayers were offered at Tilak Incline and the deceased was buried in Latifabad Unit-9 graveyard.

Thoroughfares in several localities, including Gari Khata and Tilak Incline, were blocked with burning tyres on Thursday morning. His brother, Syed Hassan Qaiser Zaidi, lodged an FIR (No147/14) under Sections 302, 324, 34 of the PPC and 6/7 of the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997 against four unidentified assailants at the Cantonment police station on Thursday.

Routine life in the city was affected and vehicular traffic remained thin.

Mr Zaidi, along with his three children, had left home on a motorcycle when he was gunned down outside the official residence of the Hyderabad deputy commissioner late Wednesday evening.

He was hit by two bullets and died instantly.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2014