Police unsure about motive behind killing of PTI leader

Say that family of Zahra Shahid Hussain was not cooperating .

KARACHI: Police officials have yet to determine whether Zahra Shahid Hussain’s death on Saturday was a targeted killing or she was a victim of an attempted robbery.

Zahra, a senior vice-president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Sindh chapter, was shot at the doorstep of her residence in Phase IV, DHA, on Saturday. She succumbed to her injuries at the National Medical Centre shortly after.

Police officials have found an empty casing of the bullet from the crime scene. The shell has been sent to the forensic division to verify whether it matches with the pistols used in crimes committed recently. Officials pointed out that the driver, Ghulam Hussain’s testimony was very important part of the case because he was the only eyewitness.  “We are still not sure whether this was an incident of target killing or she was killed because she resisted a robbery attempt,” the investigation officer, Inspector Ali Ahmed, told The Express Tribune. “It seems that she was killed because she resisted but we are investigating both the possibilities,” he added. He pointed out that they the police had checked her phone records and had questioned the family but they didn’t find anything to suggest that she received threats from anyone.



He also mentioned that the family of the victim was not cooperating properly with the police. “They didn’t give us permission to question the driver.” He recalled that the victim’s daughter quoted the driver in her first statement saying that Hussain was killed because she resisted robbery. “The family told the police later that the culprit opened fire after snatching the victim’s purse.” Inspector Ahmed felt that the delay in allowing the police access to the driver and the changes in the statements made by the family cast a shadow over the case. “The case is still being investigated.”

The victim’s driver, Hussain, told The Express Tribune that the incident occurred when he and the deceased arrived home. “I opened the door of the house and got back into the car to park it inside,” said the shocked driver. “During this time, madam (Zahra) stepped out of the car,” he recalled. “As she was entering the house, one of the armed men came close and opened fire after snatching her purse.”

No FIR has been registered as yet. Zahra’s family told the police that they will register the case after her funeral.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.