Altaf slams murder of former taluka nazim in Hyderabad

Jalilur Rehman was shot dead outside a roadside hotel late Saturday

HYDERABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement leadership on Sunday lambasted the fatal attack on its Sector ‘B’ leader and former acting taluka nazim, Jalilur Rehman. The MQM leader was sitting at a roadside hotel that belonged to Sher Mohammad alias Sheru near Memon Hospital late Saturday when two men on a motorcycle fired a volley of bullets at him. Sher Mohammad was also injured in the attack. Several party leaders, including Shakir Ali, Aamir Khan, Mohammad Umar and Rauf Khan were present as Rehman was buried in the Tando Yousuf graveyard on Sunday.

Civil hospital’s medico-legal officer, Dr Idrees, said that Rehman was shot four times in the chest and abdomen, and died before he was brought to the hospital.

MQM workers thronged the hospital’s emergency ward and chanted slogans against the culprits. The party’s chief, Altaf Hussain, termed the assault on Rehman a terrorist attack. Rehman was the joint in charge of MQM’s Section ‘B’. “He was like a parent to us,” said an activist from the area. MNA Salahuddin and MPA Akram Adil have been elected from the areas.

“We are collecting corpses of our companions, and are trying to keep our people peaceful,” said MPA Waseem Hussain. “The administration has failed to provide security to citizens.”

Rehman, 45, was elected naib nazim from Union Council 11 in the local government elections that took place in 2005. He was later elevated as taluka city nazim in 2009. The deceased was involved in the bangle-making business and was a father of five children.

His elder brother, Advocate Aneesur Rehman, says that the family had no enmity with anyone. “The motive [of the murder] could be political or religious, but it is early too say,” he said.

The incident happened  within the jurisdiction of Fuleli police. Acting SHO Ghulam Rabbani Sarewal told The Express Tribune that the police have not registered a case so far. “[But] we have recorded statements of eyewitnesses.”

Some parts of the city, including Nishat Cinema, Memon Hospital, bangles market, cloth market, Pingrapur, Fuleli, Paretabad and Illyasabad areas wore a deserted look on Sunday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2012.