Party activist’s killing: Rangers official testifies against MQM worker

Waqas Shah was allegedly shot dead by colleague during Nine Zero raid

KARACHI: A Rangers official recorded on Monday his statement before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge in a case pertaining to the murder of an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Waqas Shah, 25, was shot dead on March 11 last year when Rangers raided the MQM headquarters, Nine Zero, arresting a number of party workers and seizing a large cache of arms and ammunition.

The official, who was part of the raiding team, deposed before ATC-IX Judge Farman Ali Kanasro that he saw the accused, Syed Asif Ali, pull a pistol out of his waistband and shoot Shah, informed a court official present during Monday's proceedings.

Ali, also a party worker, has been indicted for killing his colleague on a street adjacent to the party headquarters while protesting the paramilitary force's raid.

Soon after the killing, a video was aired by news channels in which Shah and Ali were seen standing together during the protest. They then take a few steps back as a paramilitary soldier fires shots in the air, apparently to disperse the charged crowd. Seconds later, another shot is heard and Shah is seen lying on the ground with a bullet wound on his face. As per the postmortem report, Shah received a single bullet on his cheekbone which pierced through his back.

The party has maintained that it was the Rangers who killed its young activist. The paramilitary force, however, refuted the allegations and three months later revealed the arrest of Ali in connection with the murder.

The Rangers official, who is described as an eyewitness, also supported contentions of the charge-sheet against the accused. The judge, after hearing the testimony, adjourned the case. There are a total of 14 witnesses named in the charge-sheet who are going to record their statements before the court.

Apart from the murder, Ali is also charged with possessing an unlicenced pistol, said to have been used in the killing.

The murder weapon, according to the prosecution, was recovered from a stream in the vicinity of Azizabad on leads given by the accused.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2016.