Dawn's Magazines head Murtaza Razvi found dead
Police said that the body was found from an office flat in DHA. There are reports that the crime scene has been sealed by the police.
According to a Dawn statement, the body bore torture marks and the hands were tied. It appeared that Razvi had been strangled to death, but police have said that the real cause of death will be established after the post-mortem.
The body was found by his wife and artist Shahid Rassam in the latter’s studio. Razvi’s body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for an autopsy.
He was reported missing by his wife when he did not come home on Wednesday night.
Razvi’s family has said that he did not have any personal enmities and have requested that the media not speculate till the police has apprehended the killer(s).
Razvi is survived by his wife and three daughters.
His funeral prayers will be held at Jama Masjid Yasrab in DHA Phase IV, after Friday prayers on April 20, 2012.
He was a well-known columnist and political analyst who served as as a resident editor for Dawn, Lahore from 2005 to 2007.
He also authored two books, ‘Musharraf: the years in power’, a political biography of former president Parvez Musharraf, as well as ‘Ordinary People’ which comprised interviews with ordinary citizens of Pakistan about history, society and culture.
Razvi held a master’s degrees in Ancient Indian and Islamic History from the University of Punjab, Lahore and Political Science & International Relations from the US.
COMMENTS (63)
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SO its nothing to do with his being Shia or his writings - see http://tribune.com.pk/story/368969/police-arrest-one-suspect-another-absconding-in-murtaza-razvi-murder-case/
As usual the losers above jumping to stupid conclusions. It was a masseuse that has been arrested.
And because we still have some decency - the media have stopped at that. In any western country the word would have been different.
@Syed:
Attack on Sunni tehrik jalsa in karachi was not religiously motivated but rather politically motivated as Sunni tehrik was getting political support in karachi, who would have carried out the attack and benfitted should get clear due to political nature of that attack.
@Syed:
In my city they are not even 1 percent.
I am very disturbed by this news. May his soul rest in peace.
We are familiar with his writings in the indian newspaper The Indian Express. I am going to miss him. may his soul rest in peace.
@Umm. I know what genocide means. First of all, Pakistan is run by military and militants and its run by the so called agencies. Govt is not all that powerful and to be honest with you i don't think they are all that concerned. Pakistani politicians only know how to become rich and richer, whether its shia or sunni it doesnt matter they are all the same. The past few major attacks on shia muslims in Gilgit and Quetta could not have happened if the agencies were not protecting these killers. To the agencies, there are good militants and there are bad militants. they'd let them kill the shia because it makes them feel better inside and since they are minority and the other "sect" it doesn't matter much. why was malik ishaq, notorious killer of shia was released? why have shia killings increased since his release? its all a big game and this minority sect is suffering the most. and i am tired of seeing the tragic news stories everyday
Probably not! @kanwal:
you will be missed, sir. though i just had a chance to talk to you once, you were polite and humble. rest in peace. Ameen!
From Skardu to Quetta to Jhang to Karachi Pakistan is one- As far as Shia elimination is concerned.
It was shocking to see this bit of news. God Bless his Soul. I hope for once - just once , the authorities find out and bring his killer or killers to justice. My heartfelt condolences to his family. I will miss his musings.
@Addy: You are right. I stand corrected regarding the probable cause of Razvi's death. My comment on guns is generic. Proliferation of guns in Pakistan has led to an explosion of all kinds of crimes and sectarian murders. In America too they use the same argument that guns kill people. But if you compare the numbers in the US with Europe as an example, US has the highest number of people compared to any other industrialized state in incarceration for crimes using guns.
We still have to wait for the Investigation & the Autopsy results to know the true reason of his demise. He definitely did not fit any of the Agency's, MQM, or RAW target category. Neither did it look like a ransom, ethnic or hate case either.Any way, it is a loss for the nation and his loved ones__ Inna Lillahe Wainna Alaihe Raj-e-oon!
Mr Chief Justice!!!!!!!!!!! Did he hear me?
RIP. A very tragic loss indeed for us. I would urge my shia brethren to reserve our judgement before the investigation is complete. As such the way he has been murdered, it doesn't seem like a sectarian attack. It could be possible that he had enemies. All I am saying is that we should not play the victim card here before a clear picture emerges
I would also say that no matter what is happening, Pakistan is our country and we should try to work with like minded communities to eradicate this menace of sectarianism rather than get isolated. It is only a very small minority of extremists which is perpetrating such acts of terror. We should not malign the pakistani society as a whole for such reprehensible incidents
@Syed Actually my eyes are open which is why I am stating the response in a balanced way. It is true shias are being attacked but so are other communities which include sunnis, deobandis and barelvis. Do you what a genocide means??? The legal definition of the term implies systematic state sponsored ethnic cleansing of a certain group on a mass scale. You are facing attacks by TERRORISTS not the state so hence it is not a genocide. These very terrorists have attacked sunnis, deobandis, barelvis too for not supporting their agendas (recently even deobandi politician fazlur rehamn has been put on hit list by TTP). If you think you are facing state sponsored genocide, than let me point out that the right now the state which is constituted of the elected government, is predominately shia. You have a mostly shia composed government and yet if these people of your own community cannot protect you then you have to really question if what you are facing is genocide or whether you are in fact victims of chaos and vacumn of law and order in this country. You too need to open your eyes and see that it is your sunni brothers who give you protections and volunteer security duty on ashura to make sure your processions pass peacefully, and yet you want to malign us just because of a handful of bandits and terrorists who happen to be from the same sect?? That is not only highly irresponsible and slandering, but it makes us want to insert accusations that Iran too is guilty of supporting proxy war in pakistan and covertly supports shia extremists outfits like sipah mohamad etc. assassinating sunni scholars and even saudi diplomats, but we sunnis DO NOT hold the entire shia community hostage. If anything we consider ourselves equal victims, but if this is how you one sidedly present the picture, and present every murder of a shia, as a sectarian murder (regardless of first ascertaining whether it was a personal murder, a political one or religious one) than I guess we should behave no different!!!
Please listen to those who are stirring up Shia factor.He was journalist and could be target of agencies or political parties.Please until investigation is completed donot spread secterian hatred.
@Hasan Jafri May Allah Bless his soul,
And what good, if any, this blessing would bring to the family and friends he left behind? Given a choice they would surely have preferred Allah saving his life than taking care of his 'after life'.
O my dear sunny(Murtaza Razvi)i'll miss you for rest of my life, its shocking news not for me but for the whole family, you are one of my best cousin & friend.May Almighty Allah rest your soul in eternal peace & grand courage to the(your wife & three kids) family(especially my father) to bear the loss aameen
RIP...this really is very tragic news...I can just "hope" we can find out , who killed him....
@Umm. It is time you open up your eyes and realize what is happening around you. There is a Shia genocide taking place in Pakistan. Several hundred shias have died this year alone. You can close your eyes but sorry i can't. 90% of the terrorists being caught belong to deobandi sunni sect. and the sunni you mention being killed are most likely by the same people. Did you forget the data darbar attack and the attack on sunni tehreek jalsa few years back. Those were not carried out by the shias.
Shias along can't get rid of this menace alone. we need sensible sunnis to unite with the shias so we can have safe pakistan (wishful thinking i know :( )
He`s a Shia & also he has written a few articles on the ISI. He had enemies.
I am shocked to hear this news. What a sane voice lost in the wilderness of Islamic Republic of Pakistan! My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
The government should apprehend the killer(s) of Murtaza Rizvi without any delay and without any fear or favor. This is the least we expect from the Govt whose primary responsibility is to safeguard lives of the citizens - a responsibility it is totally failing to shoulder - look at the news 17 citizens murdered in Karachi within last 24 hours.
Though I'm outraged by the brutal killing, and would like to speculate on the most likely motive and culprits, our comments are part of the media. We should respect the family's wishes.
Murtaza Razvi was part of Pakistan's progressive fabric and great contributor. Condolences to his family and the country. We need a thorough investigation to hunt and expose the killers. Hope it spurs further actions and steps to secure Karachi, journalists and Pak overall.
@syed Listen we still dont know if it was a personal attack or a sectarian one. The perpetrators could be many (agencies, MQM, other political parties) he was not a religious figure and as a newspaper editor, he could have had enemies across the spectrum. Why are you lot so eager to jump the sectarian shia targets gun every time? Lots of sunnis get killed everyday, we hardly play up the sectarian card. Many Sunni, Deobandi, Barelvi scholars have been killed in the past year, do you see us rushing to blame shias or shia extremists or etc? The law and order of this country is a mess and every group, men, women, children, elderly, every ethnicity, every religious sect is under attack or threat for some reason or the other. So please dont stir up sectarian sentiments, if you don't even know the full facts yet. It spreads ill will, and doesn't increase sympathy. If anything it only decreases sympathy if you so casually throw around sectarian accusations every single time.
I knew him, my best friends dad . What a talented man . As I told his daughter he will always stay in your heart . Just like he will in all of his fans.
@Shia:
I believe he did belong to the Shia community, and his namaz-e-janaza is organised at Masjid Yasrib in defence which is a shia Imamabargah.
Mr. Murtaza Razvi is dead now. That is the most important bit. A great loss. For everyone's information: he did not belong to Shia community, just had a name which made him appear as one. May God protect the honourable and intellectual men /women of this country.
Billoo Bhaya: read carefully, no guns were used, he was stranged to death
Billoo Bhaya: only if he had a gun would he have defended himself, besides guns dont kill ppl ....ppl do
If he is murdered for his ideas and philosophies than my country needs an "intellectual jihad" against orthodoxy and closed society.
Being a seasonal writer I feel the pain of his family, and the rising flames of intolerance is pushing us in a scenario where intellectuals will be eliminated one by one.
In case of the continuation of such sort of act of barbarianism, the land of Pakistan will be occupied by "closed mind" individuals who believe their opponents will be tortured and killed"
By reading and analyzing history I have come to the conclusion that the "intellectual hypocrisy" is exhibited by historian and writers for their selfish interests.
The truth in ideas can not be stopped to spread by the act of killing and torture of Intellectuals.
It is a crime to hide truth and facts on the part of writer and intellectual.
May Allah protect unbiased and brave writers as the growth of society is dependent on it. We need to begin to refine our society by rejecting and condemning the act of killing.
I am very much disturbed and sad by this news .He is a brave man and a principled journalist who stood for peace in pakistan. .I from india sincerely offer my condolences to his wife and 3 daughters..
May Allah rest his soul in peace and give him Jannat. Excellent person , real gentleman ,
Rest in Peace Mr. Rizvi.
May Allah Bless his soul and accept him in jannat. Murtaza Razvi came across as a compassionate soul through his columns in Dawn. His article was always critical of goons(sectarian, military and political) ruining pakistan.
very sad, RIP, he was a great writer, I will miss his readings
Even I respected him.
Be at peace.
This must stop. enough is enough
Stop speculating.
May his family find the strength to cope with his loss and may his soul rest in peace Inshallah.
Inna lillahe wa ina elaihe rajayoon.
RiP
May God rest his Soul. a brilliant man indeed
a great loss to Journalism
@Umm: Whats your expectation????
so far i havent seen any love affair in any media channel about the sectarian strife......accept the reality,
May God rest his soul in peace.
@zehra Can you pls stop jumping to sectarian conclusions just because the editor was a shia. It is insulting to not just only the rest of us, but also to the shia community - do shias only die in sectarian strifes in this country and hence make the news?? Stop distorting this man's death before a full investigation is underway. If indeed he was strangled, then someone when through alot of trouble to strangle him and be done with him quietly. It is sad and unfortunate and we should wait to find out what really happened.
An anti Musharraf guy hailing from Punjab and living in Karachi and in the most dangerous business of Media industry is ultimately a target of persecution and a subtle message to many.
A real sad news indeed. May his soul rest in peace.
Very sad, talented man.
hey tribune,
please stop publishing inaccurate reports just to be the first one to break it. disgusting.
Get rid of this polarization of the attitude, let us condemn with one voice before it is too late. People like Mr.Murtaza Razvi are big assets for our society, wake up wake up and play your role don't be part of this trap (i.e. shia sunni). Rest in peace Mr.Murtaza Razvi you played your role...
May Allah Bless his soul,
RIP.
Very sad. RIP.
He was a brilliant journalist and analyst. RIP
murtaza was a brave writer and a model pakistani. rest in peace.
May Allah Bless You eternally in Heavan
this is directr continuation of the scretarian strifes that is gonig on and on, they are just piking up the intellectuals and the educated to ruin the prospects of the sect
Rest in Peace Rizvi sb. You will be missed.:-(
Being an editor is serious and dangerous business. As they say, Pakistan has lost more journalists than any other country. When you dole out guns to everyone, this is bound to happen. I guess our politicians are intelligent people.