Sindh Police submits final challan in Ali Raza Abidi's assassination case

Accused were paid Rs800,000 for the murder by an unknown person near Hussaini Building, states challan

KARACHI: Police have submitted the final challan of the murder case of former Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Ali Raza Abidi to the administrative judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court. The latter in turn has forwarded the same to the Sindh High Court (SHC).

As per the challan, the investigators have been unable to ascertain the motive behind the murder. They have, however, included the confessional statements of the accused who were arrested by the police earlier.

The challan states that the four arrested accused have confessed to their involvement in Abidi's murder, adding that four other suspects are on the run. The challan also includes the names of 12 witnesses. The accused who have been arrested include Muhammad Faooq, Muhammad Ghazali, Abu Bakr and Abdul Haseeb while those on the run are identified as Bilal, Hasnain, Mustafa alias Kali Charan and Faizan.



According to the text of challan, clues regarding the other accused were found after the arrest of Muhammad Farooq. The forensic analysis of the bullet shells obtained from Abidi's body revealed that that the same weapon was used in another incident of murder in Liaquatabad in 2018. The accused were paid Rs800,000 for the murder by an unknown person near Hussaini Building. The motorcycle used in the murder was burnt after the incident, the challan notes.

The murder

Abidi, a former member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karachi's upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood on the night of December 25.

Armed assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle outside his residence at Khayaban-e-Ghazi in DHA Phase-V. A CCTV footage had later revealed that two armed motorcycle riders intercepted Abidi's car near his residence. The 46-year-old entrepreneur-turned-politician was shot at point blank range. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2019.