Gone too soon: Iqra University student gunned down

Police have yet to ascertain the motive behind the killing.

KARACHI: The killing of a 24-year-old student, Muhammad Mansoor Ahmed Niazi, outside his home on Tuesday evening, left his family grappling with the question of who could have wanted the young student dead.

According to his family, the victim, who lived in Punjab Colony, was a final year MBA student at Iqra University’s main campus.

Niazi’s father, a retired army officer, runs his private clinic in Punjab Colony. He is the only person who saw the suspects fleeing after killing his son. “There were two boys on a bike. One of them had a pistol and was waving it in the air,” he said.

Upon reaching his house, the father saw a crowd gathered around his son’s body. Family and neighbours took Niazi to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where doctors pronounced him dead.

The victim’s friend and relative, Raees Khan, said that Niazi was working part-time at a private marketing firm to manage his university’s fee.

“Unfortunately, when the incident took place, there was no one around in the area which is usually crowded,” he said. “He [Niazi] never spoke of being worried or being involved in a dispute.”

The deceased was laid to rest at the Qayyumabad graveyard. Police have registered a case on behalf of the victim’s father against two unidentified persons.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2013.