Askari Raza, leader of Pasban-e-Jaferia and chairman of Legal Aid Committee of Millat-e-Jaferia, was killed and his friend Ali Mehdi wounded when armed motorcyclists opened fire on them in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Chowrangi on Saturday evening.
Demonstrators blamed CID’s Anti Extremist Cell chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan and Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqui of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, which is believed to a front for outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, for Raza’s killing.
They chanted slogans against the two and demanded that police register an FIR against the ‘killers’.
About 15,000 mourners attended the protest and marched around 15 kilometres from Ancholi to the Governor House.
Earlier, funeral prayers were offered for the late Raza at Shara-e-Pakistan after Zohrain prayers. He was scheduled to be buried at Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard on Superhighway, but the government’s ‘cold response’ compelled the mourners to march towards the Governor House.
Initially, members of various Shia organisations and groups blocked the Shahra-e-Pakistan for several hours.
Maulana Nazir Naqvi and Maulana Yousuf Hussain Mirza led the procession, while various community leaders addressed the protesters.
They alleged that some people from the law-enforcement agencies were conspiring against the Shia community for the past few months and Raza’s assassination is part of such conspiracies.
Maulana Nazir Naqvi said everyone knows that Raza was vigorously pursuing legal affairs of the Shia community. And for this service Raza was made to pay a price with his life. He alleged that SSP Khan and Maulana Farooqui were involved in his killing.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (12)
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This has been going on for ages and was always ignored by so called mainstream media. How many doctors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals did shia loose in last 20 years, due to the fact that they were shias or had shia sounding names, and how many professionals did other sects loose due to any type of killings (not only sectarian) and you will get your answer as to which segment is doing what.
SO how does Chaudhry Aslam come into this
@Viewer: Are you serious? There are daily attacks on shia gatherings, shah faisal colony is one of the most affected area where we see the most of shia casualties. The suicide attacker blast himself some days ago near sea view was belong to Jamia Bannoria, you can check the home of terrorists now. And if abusive language was the cause of human killing then you might count the equal number of deaths on both sides, but here you see the difference only one sector in pakistan allowing its followers to blast himself and kill as many innocent as they want to get tickets of jannah. We see the most wanted terrorists like malik ishaq are moving freely and on the other side shia are getting killed on daily basis.
Chaudhry Aslam is known for extra-judicial killings, nobody knows it better than Karachites and MQM. He needs to be taught a lesson, no one should be above law no matter how brilliant of a policemen he is , even if Mr. Raza had done some thing wrong he should also have been tried according to the law.
how many engineers doctors lawyers and businessmen have been killed in past 10 years on the account who they are!!!! there have been a number of incidents of violence where people have been targeted for their sect - particularly this year - the shia hazara community in particular has been targeted, the sipah sahaba in Punjab have been on a targeted campaign, shia pilgrims killed in mastung. Not only this but the culprits if caught are made to escape..... how extraordinary of them to run away from the police mobile at the court before they could be presented for a trial?? ( the alleged criminals of the Ashura blast)
how can one hope for justice, when the anti extremist cell itself is an extremist? no rule of law, no justice, so much of target killing be it ethnic based or sectarian based. Cant the politicians do some credible work in the required field and then taunt each other in their so called rallies!!
Oh yes, its not only the case of victimization but targeted genocide of SHIA MUSLIM sector, to whom not only corrrupt media of Pakistan, as well as the International Organizations is giving a where 26 SHIA MUSLIMlS were taken out of the bus and brutally killed by so called strong textjihadis. This is not only one case,thousands of SHIA MUSLIMS hv been killed all over Pakistan, specially in Quetta city and Parachinaar, where SHIA MUSLIMS are literally beheaded (video footage available on net). Thousands of SHIA MUSLIMS hv been killed in hundereds of suicide attacks. But they say BOTH SEGMENT.
"As many as five to six thousand people were part of the procession....", what a biased news reporting, I'm watching the gathering on news channel and it is estimated that around 1 lac protesters are attending the protest regarding the brutal killing of shia leader.
Awsum,,"viewer"..where is your equality goes now huh??..Shias from the start are being killed by outlawed Sipah sahaba and others but nothing yet has been done..and now this is the only way to make you goes concern about this
@Concerned:
are u watching TV. been off and on since yesterday. regular live updates.
This is not the case of victimization of minorities, rather it is the non-tolerant attitude of BOTH segments.
It takes two hands to Clap.
One has to consider all related factors, including the USE OF ABUSIVE SECTARIAN LANGUAGE by BOTH segments. Also recall the recent brutal killing of a student of Jamia Farooqia (Faisal colony) and murder of two Sunni Ulema, within few days, which also received scant coverage.
But ofcourse. This gets no coverage. Why would it? Minorities are being slaughtered, and it is no man's loss. Let's all carry on with rallies and big talk whilst the common man is brutally slaughtered.