Target killing: In 2nd attempt, killers get to ex-Shia Ulema Council secretary

Kauser Hussain Zaidi was first attacked in August.

KARACHI:

The men who unsuccessfully tried to kill Kauser Hussain Zaidi in August finally accomplished their mission on Friday at Pakistan Chowk.

The 50-year-old former secretary of the Shia Ulema Council was shot from close range as he was on his way home with his wife after they had been out shopping. She emerged unscathed except for a few scratches and bruises as their motorcycle skidded just in front of Aram Bagh traffic police post.

The Aram Bagh police were sure it was a sectarian target killing. Zaidi had escaped a murderous attack near the City Courts on August 13. This time, his assailants shot him twice in the neck and face.

He was taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi but he succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment. Medico-legal officer, Nisar Shah, speculated that a small weapon, likely a 9mm pistol, was used.

According to witness accounts, there were two armed attackers on a motorcycle but no one saw their faces. “Because of the noise and firing it was difficult to tell,” said the nearest shopkeeper. “But yes, when I did look up, I saw a motorcycle speeding away towards Burns road. Perhaps they were the culprits.”

By the time the policemen at the Aram Bagh traffic post came out after hearing the firing, Zaidi was breathing his last, said constable Altaf Hussain. Sub-inspector Ansar, who was put in charge of the investigation, said they couldn’t even make the sketches because no one was cooperating with the police.

Zaidi lived at Jacob Lines, Brigade. He has three sons. Cleric Allama Abbas Kumaili condemned the attack.

Zaidi was a registered ‘nikkah khwan’ at the City Courts. Karachi Bar Association’s president Mohammad Aqil said that he was not member of the KBA but they would protest.

Just three hours later, another Shia man was gunned down. This incident occurred outside a shopping centre on University Road within Mobina Town police precincts. The victim was identified as Raza Abbas, 45. He lived in Malir Cantt and was the father of three children. Police said that apparently he was killed while resisting a car snatching.

According to DSP Agha Jamil, he worked at New Jubilee Insurance Company and was in his grey Honda Civic with his small daughter outside the shopping centre while his wife was inside. The culprits took off with the car but then dumped it along with the child at a short distance. The victim was shot thrice on the abdomen, back and leg.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2011.