KARACHI: The Gulshan-e-Iqbal police registered an FIR for the murder of a Shia leader, Askari Raza, against four people, who include the central leader of Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ), formerly known as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Molana Orangzaib Farooqi. The Shia community also demanded that Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan be included in the FIR.
Askari was the leader of Pasban-e-Jaferia. He was shot dead with his friend, Ali Mehdi, on Saturday evening when two unidentified armed motorcyclists attacked his Honda City car.
The FIR states that the murder was committed on the behest of Molana Farooqi. It booked the suspects for murder, attempt to murder and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The case was registered on the orders of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan on Monday morning after a 16-hour protest by Raza’s family and the Shia community. It began around 2 pm on Sunday from Ancholi and Sharae Pakistan and ended at the Governor House near 6 am on Monday after the case was registered.
The protesters refused to leave till their demands were met. They alleged that SSP Khan and Molana Farooqi were involved in Askari’s murder.
District South DIG Commandant Shaukat Ali Shah said the governor had also ordered a judicial inquiry against SSP Khan and the application will be forwarded to the Sindh High Court soon.
He said that the summary for suspending the AEC chief will be forwarded to the home department because the Sindh IG does not have the authority to suspend a grade 18 officer. He said that the judicial inquiry will begin soon and Khan will be booked in the FIR as well if found guilty.
However, both SSP Khan and the ASWJ chief denied the allegations and said that they were not related to the matter in any way.
Askari Raza was at loggerheads with the AEC chief for the murder of a Shia lawyer, Mukhtar Bukhari, who was shot dead on July 23 in Bohrapir when he was coming back from the city courts.
The lawyer was fighting the case of Muntazir Imam, who had been arrested by the AEC for being involved in about eight cases of target killings, including the murder of ASWJ leaders Hafiz Ahmed Buksh and Engineer Ilyas Zubairi. Raza had filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against Imam’s arrest and believed that Khan was threatening Bukhari to forgo the case and had close links with Molana Farooqi.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2012.
Updated from web edition below
Senator Raza Rabbani announced that Rs100,000 would be given in compensation to the family of the deceased.
COMMENTS (10)
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@zehra, meaning FIR is registered for every target killing which takes place, why aren't protests held for others ?
the ssp refused to register the FIR, they had to protest to get an fir registerd and you say why him??
@110: For what? Why Ch. Aslam is the target?
15,000? There were nearly 1 lac people at governor house.
Great !!! This is what Chaudry Aslam gets for being a good officer. Who would blame the police when no dutiful office is allowed to stay.
That much effort was required even for FIR only, how much would be required to get justic
Hats off to those who were present at the protest demonstration. And peacefully dispersed after the demands are fulfilled. They all stay their for long hours in such cold weather, when most of us are in our cozy blankets and having comfortable sleep.
May God help the oppressed.
SSP aslam had been the most active against religious militants who had even attacked his house a few months ago.the police had also planned a crackdown against religious militants after muharram.