No compromise on Karachi’s peace, says Shehryar Afridi

State minister for interior vows to arrest ‘every suspect and facilitator’ involved in Ali Raza Abidi’s...

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Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi has vowed to arrest all those involved in former MQM lawmaker Syed Ali Raza Abidi’s assassination and that no compromise will be made on peace in Karachi.

Addressing a news conference, flanked by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail in Karachi on Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said the investigation of yesterday’s brutal murder was going in right direction and culprits will soon be brought to book, Express News reported.

Abidi was shot dead by armed motorcycle riders outside his residence at Khayaban-e-Ghazi in DHA Phase-V on Tuesday night.



Afridi, who had arrived in the Sindh capital on an official visit and met the provincial governor earlier in the day, said he was tasked by Prime Minister Imran Khan to eradicate the scourge [of target killing] for good, adding that the government and opposition parties were on the same page on the issue. “The time is ripe to take practical steps.”

Commenting on Abidi’s assassination, the state minister said the ongoing investigation will cover every angle and aspect, adding that involvement of both internal and external elements will not be ruled out.

Afridi lauded Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s reaction to the incident, who he said avoided creating chaos and refrained from taking the law into their own hands.



Speaking on the occasion, Governor Ismail said giving the credit of restoring peace in Karachi to PML-N government was not fair, adding that MQM founder Altaf Hussain was a coalition partner of Nawaz Sharif’s government.

“Where was Nawaz Sharif sleeping when Karachi was being opened and shut on MQM founder’s instructions? If he [Nawaz] had the political resolve he would’ve tried to restore peace from day one,” he remarked. “In reality, the peace in Karachi was restored by security forces,” he added.