Slain Qawwals laid to rest
Overwhelmed by sorrow, Qawwal Majid Ali Sabri breaks down at the funeral of his brother, nephew, and a fellow troupe member, while PPP’s Saeed Ghani, Governor Kamran Tessori of MQM-P, and PTI’s Haleem Adil Sheikh stand united in condolence. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
The three members of the renowned Sabri Qawwal family who were gunned down in a terrorist attack in Kalat, Balochistan, were laid to rest on Friday at Liaquatabad's historic Ilyas Goth graveyard.
The victims-Ahmad Sabri, brother of famed Qawwal Majid Ali Sabri, his young son Raza Sabri, and the group's guitarist Asif-were killed while many other members of their troupe were injured when their bus was ambushed in Kalat.
Their funeral prayers were held at PIB Colony Stadium and attended by a large number of people from the music industry, media persons, political leaders and residents. Prominent among the attendees were Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, MQM-P leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Anis Kaimkhani, Nihal Hashmi, and Jamaat-e-Islami's Monem Zafar Khan.
Initially, funeral and burial proceedings were delayed until Friday afternoon to allow close relatives arriving from abroad to participate.
Speaking to media after the funeral, MQM-Pakistan leader Dr Farooq Sattar condemned the killings and said: "These terrorists, the Fitnatul Hindustan, are agents of India's RAW. The Pakistan Army has reminded them of their limits. This is the funeral of the children of founders of Pakistan." Dr Sattar said MQM-P would not rest until all foreign-backed terror networks were eliminated from Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, where he said the security situation had deteriorated dangerously. He also accused self-styled human rights activists of being silent facilitators of terrorism.
Pakistan Sunni Tehreek chief Engineer Sarwat Ejaz Qadri also condemned the attack, saying Balochistan has become so unsafe that "no one can travel after 8pm." He praised the Sabri family's courage for bearing the irreparable loss and called for immediate financial support for the victims' families and the arrest of the perpetrators.
JI Karachi leader Monem Zafar Khan said repeated tragedies raised serious questions about the government's failure to secure highways in Balochistan. He urged the state to take decisive steps to protect innocent lives across the country.