KARACHI: “I don’t care who wins the elections. I have been in the police department for the last 28 years, but I have never cast a vote because of my professional duties,” a DSP in Sindh police told The Express Tribune. “For as long as I have been serving, I have not seen a single police chief show an interest in making sure that policemen cast their votes in the general elections.”

More than 90,000 police personnel have been stationed across the province, out of which 40,000 have been deployed in Karachi.

For its part, the Election Commission of Pakistan had made arrangements for law enforcers, polling staff and others to cast their vote through postal ballots by May 3. Bur many officials were unaware of this option. “The police department focuses on our election duties, not on our votes,” said another officer. “Nobody from my department asked me to cast the vote.”

According to Tariq Ali, who has been deputed at the polling station near the Aziz Bhatti police station, at least 600 police personnel have been called to Karachi from Larkana and Qamber Shahdadkot districts. “Not a single cop has cast his vote so far.”

Majority of the policemen in Karachi, however, are registered in the city. But their chances of casting votes on the day of the elections are slim due to their duties.

“The date for postal ballots has passed and it won’t be easy casting votes today (May 11) as law enforcers in uniform are not allowed inside the polling stations,” said an inspector. “The other problem is the distance between our place of duty and our polling station. ”

Ones who kept up

Other security forces, such as the Rangers and army personnel in Karachi, have been comparatively more proactive and most have cast their votes through postal ballots. Around 10,000 Rangers personnel have been deployed in Karachi to maintain the law and order situation.  “Our jawans have already cast votes,” said a Rangers official.

Similarly, army troops in Karachi have already voted through postal ballots. “The process for postal ballots started around ten days ago in the army,” said ISPR’s Karachi spokesperson.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2013.

Shoaib’s family hired a guard, Amal Khan, from Kardesler security company a few months ago due to some threats they received. On the day of the incident, Hamza and Shoaib met at a cafe on Khayaban-e-Seher to resolve some argument. As the fight went out of hand, Shoaib’s guard allegedly shot Hamza four times and escaped.

Shoaib was arrested a few hours later and his driver, Mushtaq, who was accompanying Shoaib on that day, was caught a day later. Since then, the guard has been on the run but the police made some headway on Wednesday when they arrested the manager of the company, Abid, who has been in touch with Amal seven times since April 27, The Express Tribune learnt.

“We have not faced any pressure from Shoaib’s family or the army,” said an investigating officer, dispelling rumours that the guard escaped because the security company’s retired army officials were supporting him. “Is the guard more important than the manager?” he asked.

The police have also arrested Shoaib’s second driver, Idrees, who may have helped the guard escape. Another police official told The Express Tribune that both, the manager and the driver, were involved in helping the guard escape from the city. They were aware of the incident yet they helped him, he said.  Why did these arrests take place after so long? “We have not been sitting idle since the day of the incident, nor is Amal Khan waiting for us to arrest him in a drawing room,” the official said. “We were collecting technical evidence – by tracing phone calls – and finally we saw that the manager and the driver were involved.”

According to Khan’s cellphone records, he was in touch with his manager and talked to him at least seven times since the incident. “If the manager knew that Khan was a murder suspect, why did he stay in touch and not inform the police?” he wondered. The driver also knew that Khan had allegedly shot and yet he drove him to someplace where he could escape the city, he pointed out. Both the arrested men’s names will be added to the FIR.

Where is the guard?

The police believe the guard reached his hometown Karak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but they have yet to arrest him since he has not reached any of his designated addresses. “We have around four to five addresses of where he has contacts, but he hasn’t reached any of them.”

The investigations have been nearly completed as the witnesses have recorded their statements and all of them said the guard shot Hamza. An official said they are just waiting to arrest the guard and obtain the forensic report of the weapon used.

“Actually, Hamza slapped Shoaib and that is when the guard stepped up. Then Hamza challenged the guard to shoot him,” said an officer. “We don’t know what went through the guard’s mind, but he opened fire.” The police are relying on witnesses’ statements and on technical reports. The officer said that if someone else has any other perception, they should step up.

Kardesler not registered with association

According to the code of conduct of the Sindh home department, all security companies must be registered with Apsaa. “We have 231 companies registered but Kardesler is not one of them,” he said. “This means the company is illegal.” He further said that the code of conduct makes it mandatory for all security guards to be in uniform but the personnel with this company do not wear uniforms.

Meanwhile, the Kardesler representatives could not be reached for comments as the numbers listed on their official website were not available or were not responding. Even the number of its Karachi-based official, Major (retd) Khurshid, was received by an unknown person who claimed he is not affiliated with any security company. Interestingly, Major Khurshid answered the same number the day of the shooting.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.

KARACHI: A blast early Thursday morning in the Mehmoodabad area of Karachi left at least 18 people injured and destroyed three vehicles, Express News reported.

The injured, including one woman and six children, were shifted to the Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Center. Dr Seemin Jamali said the injured sustained pellet wounds, but none were in critical condition.

The blast occurred in an abandoned red Charade that was parked outside Sitara Bakery, according to SHO Ashfaq Baloch. As it exploded, passersby traveling on the road were injured.

The owner of the car, along with three other accomplices, was arrested hours after the blast.

According to initial findings, bomb disposal experts said an improvised explosive device (IED) containing ball bearings was used. They added that it was a low intensity blast in which two kilogrammes of explosives were detonated by a timer.

DSP Altaf Hussain said there was no political party’s office located within the vicinity of the blast site.

Note: This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.

KARACHI: With the passage of time, the circumstances surrounding the death of 16-year-old Hamza Ahmed, who was shot dead last month allegedly by a teenager’s guard, are becoming more unclear.

Hamza lost his life on April 27 in an alleged shooting incident in Khayaban-e-Sehar in DHA, within the jurisdiction of the Darakshan police station. He had reportedly met Shoaib Naveed Ahmed and his guard outside Downtown café to settle a dispute involving his girlfriend, M*. The argument got heated and Hamza reportedly slapped Shoaib. In retaliation, Shoab’s guard, Amal Khan, allegedly shot and killed Hamza.

So far, only Shoaib is in police custody while Khan is still at large. Investigators have, however, managed to trace the guard’s whereabouts with the help of data obtained from the private security company which he had been employed for over five years. Khan had served Shoaib’s family for three months at the time of the incident. He didn’t have a criminal record since he arrived in city from his hometown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Clifton SP Sarfaraz Nawaz said, “It seems as if the guard has run away to his hometown. We are in touch with the KP police. Hopefully, he will be arrested soon.”

But police investigators have hit some hurdles. M – the girl over which the argument allegedly broke out – has said that she had not been in touch with the accused or the deceased for over four months. According to SP Nawaz, M said that Shoaib never teased her. There were three more eyewitnesses who were Hamza’s friends.

A senior police officer said law enforcers have obtained Hamza’s mobile phone records as well as those of Shoaib and M. The weapon used in the killing has been analysed, but the officer did not divulge the details of the forensic report. He added that the case is being investigated very carefully.

In search of justice

Hamza’s family has also started making claims that it was not the security guard but Shoaib who shot and killed him. While talking to The Express Tribune, Talib Sohail Ahmed, Hamza’s father, said, “I can’t believe that the guard – a trained ex-army personnel – could behave in such a manner.”

He also claimed that the three eyewitnesses have not been truthful. “They told me one thing and the police something else. God knows what has happened. But if the police want, it can even turn an elephant into a peacock.”

Hamza’s relatives also claim that Shoaib’s family is influential and is pulling strings to make the police favour Shoaib, giving him a VVIP protocol in the police station. “According to Shoaib, Hamza slapped him as soon as he reached the spot and so he backed away in fear,” said Talib. “What we should question is that if one teenager [Shoaib] got scared from another over a slap, then why hasn’t the police been able to get the facts from him?”

Meanwhile, Shoaib was brought to court on Monday where his remand was extended till May 9.

*Name changed to protect privacy

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2013.

Rehman studied in grade two and came from a lower-middle class family. He was playing with his cousins in a park opposite the MQM office and had just exited the park when the blasts occurred, killing the boy on the spot.

“If the Taliban believe themselves to be so powerful, then why don’t they plant bombs inside the offices of the political parties rather than outside the offices like cowards,” asked Rehman’s father, Abdul Saleem. “Which Islam are they talking about? Is it Islamic to shed the blood of innocent children?”

Saleem migrated to Sindh from Punjab 16 years ago in the hopes of financial prosperity. He works in a shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. “I came to Karachi to build a good life for myself but Karachi has taken my life from me,” said Saleem. “We had pinned all our hopes on Rehman,” he recalled. Rehman’s cousin, Usman, was also wounded in the blast and was admitted at the hospital. Doctors, however, said that he was out of danger. Rehman was the second boy who lost his life in election-related violence. Four-year-old Aimal Sadiq Zaman and his father, Sadiq Zaman Khattak, were shot dead by unidentified men in Korangi on Friday. Khattak was a member of Awami National Party and was contesting elections from NA-254. The incident occurred when they exited a mosque after offering prayers.

The other two victims of the blasts, Muhammad Younus Ismail and Rahatullah Khan, were members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Ismail, who was 17 years old, worked as an electrician and lived in Block-17, Gulberg. He was buying beetle-nut from a shop when the incident happened. Khan, a resident Gulistan-e-Jauhar, had come to Azizbad to assist with MQM’s election campaign. He was leaving the area to return home and celebrate his son’s birthday when the blast occurred.

Funerals and FIRs

Khan and Ismail were buried in Muhammad Shah graveyard, North Karachi. Rehman was buried in the Yasinabad graveyard. A number of members of MQM attended the funeral prayers. Azizabad police have registered FIR No 69/13 under Section 302/34, 324, on behalf of complainant Sarwatullah, Rahatullah’s brother.

Strike four for MQM

Karachi wore a deserted look on Sunday – the fourth day of mourning to be held in 12 days. Transport and economic activities resumed after MQM announced an end to the mourning later in the day.

MQM’s appeal to observe a day of mourning failed to gather support in most of Upper Sindh, excluding Sukkur. Business activities and transport continued as normal in many districts.

MQM activists had contacted various trade unions in Sukkur asking them to keep their businesses shut as a result of which parts of the district remained closed.

Shopkeepers in Shahi Bazaar, Jinnah Chowk, Clock Tower and Gharibabad, strongly condemned the forced closure of their businesses. “We are annoyed with the repeated calls to hold days of mourning because they disrupt trade, particularly in Karachi,” said one shopkeeper. “We condemn the repeated attacks on the offices of the political parties but what is the use of holding strikes?” The shopkeepers also demanded that the government deploy armed forces to prevent parties from forcing people to close their businesses.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2013.

KARACHI: The areas within NA-244 may have become divided along predominantly sectarian lines now but its residents remember a time when it was just another neighbourhood where people lived in peaceful coexistence.

With a week until the elections, the campaigns have gained momentum. A number of flags, banners and hoardings are dotting the main roundabouts and intersections. Despite the overwhelming majority of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) supporters in NA-244, several political analysts believe that the party will not have such a clean victory this time.

The constituency falls within district Central and has been a traditional stronghold of the MQM since the first time it contested the local council elections in 1988. The only time MQM lost this seat was in 1993 when it boycotted the elections. MQM’s headquarters, Nine Zero, is just a few-minutes drive away.

Most of the residents are literate and fall into the middle-income group. An overwhelming majority of them speak Urdu, while there are pockets of Punjabi, Pashtun, Memon, Godhra, Kutchi, Sindhi and Bengali communities as well.

Nestled within the narrow lanes off Sharae Pakistan is Godhra locality – home to Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, and the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST), whose founder, Saleem Qadri, also lived here until 2001 when he was assassinated. Since these organisations are stepping into the political arena for the first time in the country’s history, they are likely to put a dent in the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) vote bank.

The lanes inside Godhra are also divided among these sectarian groups. Party activists man the entrances, and residents are careful not to step into the ‘wrong’ streets. “The area belongs to low- to middle-class people and the growing intolerance and religious hatred has led to a growth in such organisations,” said a resident of Godhra.

Facing this area is Ancholi – Federal B Area block 20 – which is a Shia-dominated neighbourhood. The Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) has recently gained significant foothold in this part of the constituency.

The residents have yet to feel excited about the upcoming elections and feel that they have little role to play in the outcome.

“Do you see any sentiments here?” remarked a shopkeeper in New Karachi. “Jubilation and enthusiasm are not generated on empty stomachs.”

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is also eyeing this seat. A JI worker said that his party has proven that it serves people judiciously right at the grassroots level.

He was sure the JI would sweep the elections from NA-244 this time – based on their support from the labour colonies, katchi abadis and other pockets of ethnic minorities.

Despite fears of losing its traditional Shia vote bank to the MWM, the MQM is confident of its victory. “Mohajirs are living here and a majority of them support MQM,” said a party activist. “Mohajirs don’t have any other option if they want to protect themselves from sectarianism, ethnic discrimination and especially Talibanisation. MQM always raises its voice against terrorism.” Ahead of the 2013 elections, this constituency has also seen its share of poll violence. A planted device exploded near an MQM election cell on Peoples Chowrangi on April 23, killing at least four men and wounding around 30 others.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2013.

The first blast occurred around 8:55pm outside a park opposite an MQM unit office/election cell near the party’s headquarters. After the explosion, in which eight people were reportedly injured, police, Rangers, paramedics, party workers and other bystanders immediately gathered at the site to help the injured.

That’s when the second blast, more devastating than the first, took place. It seems clear that this second blast was meant to inflict maximum casualties and target rescuers.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Central Zafar Bukhari confirmed that at least three people were killed and 30 others, including four policemen, two Rangers personnel and two media persons, were injured in the two blasts The injured reportedly included MQM Karachi Tanzeemi Committee member Tarawish.

Police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadir added that they were still receiving reports of more casualties. According to Dr Qadir, seven of those injured in the blast were in critical condition because of a shrapnel used in the bombs, with most of the victims receiving wounds to the torso.

Most of the injured were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Some others were admitted in the Aga Khan Hospital and the Sindh Government Hospital in Liaquatabad.

According to bomb disposal squad (BDS) officials, the explosive devices used in the two blasts both weighed around a kilogramme and utilised nuts, bolts and ball bearings. They said part of a cell phone casing was found at the site where the bomb used in the first blast had been planted, suggesting a cell phone trigger had been used in the device. They suspected the second device used a cell phone trigger as well, although no evidence for that had been found so far.

BDS officials maintained both bombs had been buried by the roadside, saying that evidence suggested that the second bomb was embedded in a cement block. The BDS officials did not know, however, as to what sort of container was used for the first bomb.

Talking to The Express Tribune, DIG Zafar Bukhari said the first blast intended to draw out people towards the site for the second one. According to him, the nine election-related blasts that have occurred in Karachi so far seem to suggest that the attacks focus less on killing and rather aim to spread panic and fear among the people of the city to disrupt the May 11 elections.

The DIG said three or four terrorist groups were active in the city at moment, all of whom had ties with the Taliban. He added that investigation against the groups was almost complete and the police were close to arresting those involved in the incidents.

The DIG said the raids had prevented several far more devastating attacks planned by terrorists in the city.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the twin mbombings. In a statement following the incident, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the attacks were part of its campaign against the MQM, Awami National Party and Pakistan Peoples Party.

MQM, announced Sunday (today) would be observed as a ‘day of mourning’ across Sindh. MQM’s Raabta Committee has appealed to all traders and transporters in the province to close businesses and transport. The All Karachi Tajir Ittehad has supported the strike call and announced that their businesses will remain closed till 3pm Sunday. Karachi Transport Ittehad chairman, however, said that although they don’t support the strike, they would still suspend transport in the city out of fear of violence.

Poll-related violence continues

At least three people were injured in separate acts of election-related violence across the country on Saturday.

In Quetta, unknown assailants lobbed a hand grenade towards Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Zahid Akhtar Baloch’s vehicle outside the party’s provincial office, critically injuring two persons. Which Zahid’s vehicle was damaged, he himself emerged unscathed.

Another person was injured in a hand grenade attack at an ANP corner meeting in Mardan. Unknown militants hurled the grenade at the hujra of ANP leader Latifur Rahman, where the meeting was being conducted, injuring his cousin and fellow party activist Javed Rahman.

In an earlier incident in Mardan on Saturday, unknown militants lobbed two hand grenades at the residence of ANP leader Ahmadullah.

Meanwhile, an election office of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was blown up in the jurisdiction of Mathra police station in Peshawar early on Saturday. According to police officials, an explosive device weighing two kilogrammes was planted neared the office. A nearby shop was also damaged in the blast.

Separately, Raj Mohammad, JI’s candidate for NA-39 survived an improvised explosive device attack in Orakzai Agency.

TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan denied responsibility for the attacks on JI candidates and the PTI election office. He claimed he was unaware of the attacks.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2013.

Sadiq Zaman Khattak, 45, who was contesting a National Assembly seat (NA-254), was shot outside Rehmania Masjid in Bilal Colony of Korangi Industrial Area. His four-year-old son Aimal Sadiq Khattak was also killed in the attack. Six people, including Khattak’s 15-year-old son Shahid Sadiq, were also injured.

According to witnesses, at least three armed men riding motorcycles opened fire on Khattak, outside Rehmania Masjid. As a result, the ANP candidate was shot at least seven times, while his son, Aimal was shot four times.

“They [the victims], after offering Friday prayers, were exiting the mosque when gunmen attacked them,” said an injured ANP worker, Faisal Khan. “The assailants continued firing for at least five minutes,” he added. Both Sadiq and his son died on the spot.

Seething with rage, ANP leaders and workers were seen chanting slogans against their party’s unnamed killers at Jinnah hospital.

According to doctors, the injured party workers are out of danger. Following the attack, extra contingents of law enforcers, including Rangers and police, reached the site but till then the assailants had escaped.

According to police officials, 9mm pistols were used in the attack.  They also found empty shells that were sent to the forensic division of Sindh police for further examination.

Inspector General Police in Sindh Shahid Nadeem Baloch has taken notice of the incident and ordered Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Ali to arrest the culprits within three days to avoid legal action.

SHO Ali told The Express Tribune that according to the initial investigation, the ANP candidate was the target.

“The Taliban might have been behind the incident,” he said. “However, nothing can be ascertained till the investigation is finalised.”

Day of mourning today

Khattak was associated with the ANP for the past three decades and was its Sindh council member and general secretary of District East.

He was contesting elections from NA-254 for the first time.

Following the attack, ANP has announced a day of mourning in Sindh on Saturday.

ANP Sindh President Senator Shahi Syed, while condemning Khattak and his son’s murder said the incident was a blot on humanity.

“Those who kill a father and his child, after prayers, can’t be grouped together with humans,” Syed said.

President Zardari condemned the attack on Khattak and expressed sympathy with the candidate’s family.

MQM chief Altaf Hussain also condemned the attack on Khattak.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2013.

Truck loads of soldiers left Malir Cantonment and took positions in various neighbourhoods, hoping to deter those trying to disrupt the upcoming general elections on May 11. The armed forces have been called upon to help the civilian power, under Article-245 of the Constitution.

Friday was another violent day for the city as it lost one of its National Assembly candidates for Korangi – Awami National Party’s NA-254 candidate Sadiq Zaman Khattak – in a target killing in Bilal Colony. Khattak was among the 26 people who have so far been killed and hundreds more wounded in attacks on political party offices and meetings since April 23.

According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, nearly 70,000 troops will be deployed for election-related duties in Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The armed forces will join the police and the paramilitary forces to guard polling stations while the Quick Response Force of the Pakistan Army will remain on standby for assistance.

“As per the directives of the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, the deployment of army troops in Karachi has started and it is still in process,” an ISPR Karachi spokesperson told The Express Tribune. “It will be completed by tonight [Friday].”

Another ISPR official said that these troops will be deployed as part of the Quick Response Force in the proximity of sensitive polling stations. “The deployment depends on what kind of area there is,” he said. “The highly sensitive areas will have more men as compared to relatively peaceful ones, but the army will be present across the city so that the terrorists are unable to move around.”

A senior police officer told The Express Tribune that nearly half of the 4,000 polling stations have already been declared sensitive. All of district West, including Manghopir, Sultanabad, Pakhtunabad, Kunwari Colony, Mianwali Colony, Awan Colony, Rasheedabad, Ittehad Town, Orangi Town, Frontier Colony, MPR Colony and Qasba Colony, is highly sensitive, followed closely by district East.

The army men will not, however, be present inside polling stations, but they will be present nearby to respond quickly in case of an emergency. “The troops will continue to flag march and will patrol polling stations and government buildings, such as schools and colleges,” said an ISPR official. “The army will arrive within three to four minutes.”

A coordination cell is also being setup at the Corps Headquarters in order to keep in touch with the election commission and to monitor the situation. “The polling stations will have the contact numbers of the coordination cell so that the presiding officer can quickly call the army in case something happens.”

Earlier, the director-general of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, Major General Rizwan Akhtar opposed the demands for army deployment by political parties. He said the military will also conduct operations the same way as the Rangers are doing now. “The army deployment has finally started,” a Rangers official said. “Now we have to see how much impact it will have on the law and order situation.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2013.

The 50-year-old chief finance officer of a Sanghar sugar mill, Abdul Jawwad Durrani, his wife and three children – 11-year-old Rehan, nine-year old Rameen and four-year-old Arif – were found dead inside their house near Yasrab Imambargah in DHA Phase IV. The investigators have speculated that Durrani shot himself after he killed the rest of the family while they were sleeping.

Durrani also emailed some of his relatives and friends at 5am when he said that, “We are mere mortals – everything will end one day,” read the email as quoted by some of his relatives and the police. He further said that there is no point in living. “There is too much competition in this world. I have worked so hard all my life and my children will be forced to do the same, but I don’t want them to. People are already killing each other. We have to die eventually, whether today or tomorrow.”

When his friends and relatives received this email, they tried to contact him. “The email was very shocking,” said Durrani’s brother-in-law Anis. “We were even more tensed when his phone was also not responding and the bungalow was locked from the inside.”

This suspicious behaviour forced them to call the police, who broke the front door and found Durrani and his wife lying in their bedroom while the children were in their room. The investigators said that a single weapon – most likely a 9mm pistol – was used in the killing and has been found.

The doctors at Jinnah hospital said that the murder took place around 6am, which means that Durrani may have shot them shortly after sending that email. The bodies of his wife, Wajiha, and the three children were taken to the hospital for post-mortem. “Apparently, all the victims were shot,” said a doctor. “We have taken samples to verify if they were poisoned before being shot.”

The family members were shot once in the head while they were sleeping. “Then he put the pistol inside his mouth and committed suicide,” said SSP Aftab. “The wife may have been shot first and then the children. The bodies and the crime scene suggest that there was no resistance.” Some of the neighbours said they did not hear anything while others insisted they did.

The police have, however, ruled out the possibility of a heist as all the valuables inside the house were in place and nothing was missing. They have also not filed an FIR yet. The security cameras installed at the entrance and inside the bungalow also suggest that no one else entered or escaped the bungalow. According to the police, Durrani had a driver but he usually reported at the house after 9 in the morning.

The family was settled in Dubai and came to Karachi on Sunday. “Everything was alright until Monday evening because the whole family attended a wedding then,” said one of the relatives. “We don’t think they had any personal enmity or were facing any threats. But Durrani seemed to be in a strange mindset for sometime.”

A police officer said that his email also suggested that Durrani was feeling disheartened for the past three years. “What is strange is that the issues he mentioned in the email, such as competition, trouble those facing financial hardships and he was not poor,” he said.

The police have located all the five bullets shot. “We will determine with the help of finger prints, weapons and bullet shells whether or not the same weapon was used and if Durrani fired it,” said a forensic expert.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2013.