Targeted attack: Jaffaria Alliance leader and son attacked

Mohsin Rizvi was on his way home on a motorcycle when gunmen attacked killing his 18-year-old son.

KARACHI:

The central committee leader of the Jaffaria Alliance, Mohsin Rizvi, and his son Akmal were attacked near Patel Para on Friday. The father and son were on their way home when they were shot at by men on motorcycles.

Although injured, Rizvi managed to drive to the Fatimiya Hospital near Soldier Bazaar. Akmal, 18, was pronounced dead as soon as they got there, while Rizvi was taken in for an operation where the doctors managed to pull out four bullets.

The police claim that the suspects managed to escape. As the news of the attack spread like wildfire, Jaffaria Alliance workers and chief Allama Abbas Kumaili reached the hospital. Distrustful of the security guards at the hospital, they set up their own security. Kumaili blamed the Sindh government for the attack and demanded that the suspects should be arrested immediately. The Jaffaria Alliance announced that they would observe a three-day mourning period.

According to Kumaili, there were no issues between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the country, but there were some people who were creating problems. He urged Sunni scholars to be aware of conspiracies spread by banned terrorist groups who were operating under new names and wanted to target Shia Muslims. The federal interior minister, Rehman Malik, condemned the incident and asked the police to send a report within 24 hours.

Akmal was laid to rest in Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard on Friday afternoon. The funeral prayers were led by Allama Razi Jafar Naqvi at Noor-e-Eman Mosque in Nazimabad. Rizvi recited a nauha or dirge on the death of his eldest son.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2012.