KARACHI.: An investigation team headed by the South Zone Police Chief DIG Dr Ameer Shaikh has been constituted to probe the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Sindh chapter senior vice-president Zahra Shahid Hussain.

The investigation team would be comprised of SSP Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Farooq Awan, SSP Anti-violent Crime Cell (AVCC) Niaz Khosa  and SSP Investigations Manzur Khatiyan. DSP, SHO and SIO of the Gizri police station would also be part of the investigation team.

The investigation team has recorded the statement of witnesses and is investigating the murder from every possible angle.

Despite the formation of the investigation team and investigations, a report of the incident is yet to be registered.

Zahra was fatally shot at the doorstep of her residence in Phase IV, DHA, on Saturday. She succumbed to her injuries at the National Medical Centre shortly after.

KARACHI: Karachi’s notorious neighbourhood, Lyari, remained at a standstill as gunshots echoed through the vicinity for the second consecutive day. Parts of Lyari, including Hungorabad, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Road, Ali Mohammad Mohalla, Zikri Mohalla and Al-Falah Road remained tense on Sunday, as violence ensued between two groups.

According to sources, armed men from the Kutchi Rabita Committee (KRC) took positions in Hungorabad while rival group members took up positions on Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Road, Ali Mohammad Mohalla, Zikri Mohalla and Al-Falah Road.

When questioned about their absence, police officials blamed it on the shortage of personnel and armoured personnel carriers (APCs). “The situation in Lyari is now under control,” Kalri SHO Haji Sanaullah told The Express Tribune, adding that all the blocked roads were now open and firing had stopped. He said that KRC member, Saleh Mohammad, was killed and four others wounded in the violence.

There was confusion, however, regarding the death toll as the KRC claimed that ten of their members, including a 12-year-old girl, were killed over the last two days, while the police believe that only five people have been killed.

KRC leader, Daud Kutchi, while talking to The Express Tribune, blamed the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) for the killings. “The PAC is taking revenge from us for not supporting their candidates in the elections,” he said. “Delay in action by the law enforcement agencies has resulted in the deaths of 10 of our people so far.”

The PAC leadership was unavailable for comment. Sources in the PAC, however, said that they did not have any link with the ongoing violence, adding that a political party was supporting the KRC to create a law and order situation in Lyari.

Bodies recovered

Bullet-riddled bodies of two young men were found in gunny bags from bushes near the Northern Bypass. Manghopir SHO Aslam Joya said that the victims had been shot multiple times, adding that the motive behind the incident could only be ascertained after their identification. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to Edhi morgue, Sohrab Goth for identification.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.

They will join the police and Rangers personnel to thwart any attempts to disrupt the re-polling in 43 polling stations of NA-250. A total of 5,000 security personnel have been deployed in and outside the polling stations where voters will cast their ballots again today.

While talking to The Express Tribune Clifton SSP Nasir Aftab, said, “We have already deployed our men inside and outside the polling stations. Now there won’t be any chance of rigging.” The polling would be conducted at 38 polling stations in district South and five of district East. According to the security plan, more than 3,600 policemen, 800 Rangers and 600 army personnel have been deployed inside and around polling stations. About 22 policemen, eight to 10 Rangers personnel and six to eight men from the army have also been deployed at every polling station.

A cell to monitor the re-polling has also been established at the Central Police Office where two DIGs, two SSPs and four SPs will monitor the security arrangements. The quick response option of the Rangers and army can be used if the need arises.

Police officials claim the reason behind the rigging on May 11 was that law enforcers had not been ordered to step inside polling stations. “Last time our aim was to maintain the law and order situation and we successful at doing this,” said SSP Aftab. “Now our jawans would take their positions inside the polling stations for the vigilance.”  Rangers personnel have also taken their positions inside and around polling stations in NA-250 to prevent mishaps. While talking to The Express Tribune, a Rangers official said, “Rigging will not be tolerated. During the last polls, we were only present for security. Bu this time we have to curb rigging as well.”

The army is keen to play its role too. Ballot boxes have also been transported from the city courts to their destinations under the supervision of the army. The men in khakis will continue to keep an eye out from the time the first ballot paper is stamped till the time the last voter steps outside a polling station. The army has been given the task to make the elections transparent.

Besides the army’s deployment, the Quick Response Force will also be on standby and can be summoned should an emergency arise. The army’s armoured personnel carriers (APCs) would also be stationed outside polling stations. While talking to The Express Tribune, ISPR’s Karachi spokesperson said, “A large number of army personnel was needed in the last elections. We were not asked to deploy troops inside polling stations in a timely manner back then.” He added that had the army been deployed in polling stations on May 11, some people would have pointed fingers and blamed it for trying to get its handpicked party elected to power.

Other arrangements

Sunday Bazaar in Defence will remain closed today on account of the re-polling in NA-250. Food for on-duty law enforcers has also been arranged. “From Saturday night to Sunday night, we will provide them breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said SSP Aftab. “Police officers, especially SHOs, have been asked to arrange meals of biryani and juices for them.” The police’s finance department will bear all the expenses.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.

KARACHI: Just hours before re-elections in some polling stations of NA-250 are due to begin, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central vice president was shot dead outside her house in Karachi.

According to initial details, Zahra Shahid Hussain was shot dead outside her house in Defence Phase IV late on Saturday evening.

The motive of the attack could not be immediately ascertained.

However, SP Clifton Division Nasir Aftab said that initial findings pointed to a case of a purse snatching gone wrong. Aftab told The Express Tribune that per Hussain’s daughter, her mother got into their car to leave. The driver wheeled the car out and was locking up the gate when two men on a bike pulled up and tried to snatch her purse. “When she resisted they shot her.”

The culprits sped away after the incident.

The police said that they are trying to get the statement of the eye witness and continuing investigations into the incident.

PTI media coordinator Jameel Siddiqui told The Express Tribune that  given the situation prevailing in the city, the incident could be a part of those events.

Shortly after the incident, a large number of PTI workers gathered outside the National Medical Centre, where Hussain had been brought for treatment.

Meanwhile, the caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Zahid Kurban Alvi condemned the attack and has sought a report from IG Sindh.

Condemnations pour in

PTI chief Imran Khan and party spokesperson Shireen Mazari have condemned the brutal killing of their party leader and demanded swift arrest of the culprits.

Mazari has declared the incident as terrorism and failure on part of the provincial government.

Arif Alvi, the PTI candidate in NA-250, has appealed to PTI workers to observer calm.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has also condemned the killing.

She was the central vice president of the party and a member of the party’s central executive committee. She was also the former president of the party’s Sindh Women’s wing. She was one of the founding members of PTI.

Her funeral prayers will be offered after Asr prayers at Sultan Mosque in Karachi.

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.