Daylight attack: Turabi’s son-in-law, 2 relatives gunned down

Victims were affiliated with the PPP but were apparently killed over property dispute.

KARACHI:

The son-in-law of a slain Shia cleric, his father and a relative were gunned down on Wednesday.

Police said the victims were affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) but were killed over a family dispute. The family, however, claimed that these were sectarian killings.

The three men were attacked near their residence in Block-10, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. They were contractors in the New Sabzi Mandi at the Super Highway and were on their way home, when armed men opened fire on their Honda Civic, (ATL-674). Witnesses said that the culprits were in a car and on a motorcycle.

The witnesses also said the attackers were already in the area waiting for their victims.

Syed Basharat Hussain, son of Ghulam Hussain, died at the spot while his young son, Tahir Hussain, and relative Shahsawar Ali succumbed to their injuries later.

Tahir was the son-in-law of cleric Allama Hassan Turabi, who was killed in a suicide attack in 2006. Police officials said that the culprits used 9 mm pistols. Victim Shahsawar was Basharat’s father-in-law.

SHO Choudhry Irshad told The Express Tribune that the victims were fighting over family property. Around 10 years ago, one of Basharat’s brothers, retired Captain Altaf Hussain who used to work in PTCL, was also killed.

He said Basharat and his family, who were nominated in the murder of his brother Capt Hussain, had also registered a case against his nephew over property disputes. The officer hinted that Altaf’s son, Wilayat, might be behind the incident.

SHO Irshad also confirmed the victims’ affiliation with the PPP. PPP, Karachi division information secretary Sohail Abidi condemned the incident. The family hails from Parachinar. Their funeral prayers were offered at an imambargah in Ancholi and later they were laid to rest in the Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2011.