Self-made entrepreneur’s murderers still at large

Abbas Ali Merchant's killers 'occupy' his cattle farm, police turn blind eye

KARACHI: Today, August 29, is Abbas Ali Merchant's first death anniversary. Despite a year having passed since he was killed, his murderers are still out on the streets, enjoying their freedom at the cost of his life.

Merchant was a big name in the cattle business. Well-respected among the business community, he was a whole-sale supplier of cattle feed and medicine for 30 years. Unfortunately, the life of the self-made entrepreneur was brought to a tragic end on August 29 last year. He was shot dead at a cattle farm located in the city's biggest cattle market, Bhains Colony.



Merchant was allegedly shot and killed by Chaudhry Shabbir and his companions when he reached Shabbir's cattle farm to settle a long-standing dispute. Merchant's security guard and one of Shabbir's employees were also killed in the crossfire.



A case was registered against Shabbir and his two accomplices, Ashraf Dogar and Rana Sagheer. However, a year has been passed and the case is still pending investigation. Merchant's family has shifted abroad now as they faced security threats but his brother, Nosher Merchant, is still pursuing the case. "We are not being given justice," he told The Express Tribune. "The police should speed up its action against the culprits as it was a brutal killing. The police have not even made a single arrest, yet they closed the case and declared the culprits as absconders."



Shabbir and Merchant had been involved in a monetary dispute for eight months before Merchant's death. Merchant had invested nearly Rs80 million in a joint business venture between Shabbir and a former DIG. Sometime later, they told Merchant that the business had gone into a complete loss.

After the loss, the DIG handed over his cattle farm, worth around Rs50 million, to Merchant to compensate for the lost investment. The situation calmed down and Merchant was satisfied with the arrangement until he left the country for a trip. Upon his return, he found Shabbir and the former DIG's men occupying the farm.

The victim's lawyer said that all three nominated culprits are still running their business at their cattle farm in Bhains Colony with no fear of apprehension. "There is no progress in the case yet," lamented Merchant's lawyer, Tahir Iqbal Malik. "We want the police to investigate the case properly."



Official version

The police on the other hand said that they raided the farm multiple times but the culprits have yet to be arrested. "A total two cases were registered," explained investigation officer Naeem Awan. "The first case was registered by Shabbir against Merchant for killing his brother but the investigating officers ended this investigation as it was a false case," he said. "The second case was registered by Merchant's family."

The officer said he raided the farm a number of times to arrest the culprits but their whereabouts remain unknown. "Shabbir shifted his buffaloes from the cattle farm to an undisclosed location since the incident occurred and went underground," explained the officer.

"Merchant and Shabbir had a monetary dispute over an investment at the cattle farm, which took Merchant's life," he said, adding that the police are still searching for the culprits.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2016.