Fayyaz Hussain Naqvi, the 11th Shia to die for nothing

The 11th victim of sectarian target killings in two months was buried in Orangi on Tuesday. Twenty-four year old Fayyaz Hussain Naqvi was ambushed and shot by two men on motorcyles while on his way home from a motorcyle factory where he worked.

According to witnesses, he was shot dead from a close distance by two youngsters, one with a beard and the other cleanshaven. “When he reached Café Taskeen hotel, they fired at him and fled on their bikes as he fell to the ground,” a witness said. People standing around said they took his body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

“He died at the gate of the hospital,” said Junaid, who accompanied the body. Doctors corroborated this, saying he arrived at 8:30am and expired at the time of arrival.

Abbasi Shaheed MLO Dr Sheeraz told The Express Tribune that it appeared that he was hit from less than 12 metres away. “He sustained two injuries in the head,” the MLO said. Pistols were used and the wounds were one centimetre deep. The killing took place in the jurisdiction of Iqbal police station, Orangi 11 1/2. SHO Haji Liaquat Ali told The Express Tribune that as far as their investigations had revealed, the young man had no political affiliations. An FIR was registered against unnamed people.

Soon after the incident, protesters gathered at the hospital and shouted slogans against the government for failing to prosecute the killers in sectarian violence.

Scared shopkeepers in Pakistan Bazaar market, at Dua Chowk and in Rizvia shut down. News also spread to some parts of Nazimabad. The police were sent in.

Naqvi was buried in the graveyard in Orangi after funeral prayers at a Rizvia Society imambargah.

He had two brothers and four sisters. According to the police, he was not married. He and his family had been living at the house of their uncle Jaffer Hussain since their father passed away.

For the last one week, the killers have been using a new technique. They arrive at the spot on separate motorcycles instead of two men on one. This makes it easy for them to take off in different directions after the incident.

The Jafferia Alliance of Pakistan has said that 22 members of the Shia sect have been shot dead over the last one month. The police say, however, that only 10 Shias were killed in June and July. When contacted, the JAP said it could not give a list of the victims and places where they were targeted. Fayyaz Naqvi is the 11th official victim.

An incensed Senator Allama Abbas Komaili condemned the attack, saying the government had failed to provide security to the citizens of Pakistan.

All Parties Conference today

An all parties conference will be held today, Wednesday at the Karachi Arts Council where religious leaders will come together to form a joint policy against terrorism, said Jafferia Alliance Pakistan chief Komaili at a meeting with the Sunni Tehreek’s Shahid Ghouri on Tuesday. “Terrorists are openly targeting Shias and Sunnis,” he said. “Had the government caught the terrorists involved in the Nishtar Park, Ashura and Chehlum attacks and punished them, the Data Darbar incident would not have taken place.”

One faction is manipulating others into following them, while those who do not agree are subjected to terror, alleged Komaili. “Those who have been caught have yet to be punished while some have even been allowed to escape,” he alleged.

Ghouri supported his call for accountability. “How will peace be restored to the country if the government refuses to take action?” asked Ghouri.

Ahle Sunnat and Ahle Tehreek leaders said that they would unite on Wednesday

Deoband leaders on  sectarian killings

Deoband ulema Maulana Asad Thanvi, Mufti Usmanyar Khan and Mufti Muhammad Naeem said that people involved in sectarian violence are “enemies of the country” as well as religious sects and political parties.

“Our peaceful position should not be considered a weakness. We know how to answer a brick with a stone,” the ulema said.

They spoke against demands put forth by Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Shah Turabul Haq and Shehzada Fazle Kareem, going so far as to urge a ban on Kareem in Sindh. “Terrorists do not belong to any religion, sect or race. They breed terror only for the sake of terrorism,” they concluded.

Publsihed in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2010.