Last rites: Educationist Azfar Rizvi laid to rest
Police rule out extortion, robbery as cause of targeted attack.
Syed Azfar Rizvi. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Social activist and a well-known educationist Syed Azfar Rizvi, who was gunned down on Friday evening, was laid to rest amid sobs and tears on Saturday.
The funeral prayers were offered at Darbar Sultan Masjid near his residence in Federal B Area and were attended by a large number of people, including his relatives, colleagues, students as well as leaders and workers from different political and social organisations. Rizvi was later buried at the Yasinabad graveyard. His driver, Abdul Ghafoor, also died in the same attack. His body was sent to his hometown in Punjab for burial.
Extortion, robbery ruled out
The investigators have ruled out the possibility of extortion, robbery and personal enmity behind Rizvi’s assassination. An official told The Express Tribune that neither was the victim killed upon resistance during a robbery bid nor was he under threats from an enemy.
The investigators are trying to probe the case believing that Rizvi was targeted either because of his mistaken sect or his affiliation with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). According to SHO Haseeb Qureshi, the victim’s name was common among Shia so he may have been targeted over a mistaken identity. He was also close to the MQM, he pointed out.
“There are rare chances that his identity was mistaken as he was a high-profile personality and target killers usually kill their target after proper homework,” said Qureshi. “The MQM factor is also important.”
The empty shells found from the crime scene have been sent to the Sindh police forensic division while the police investigators are also trying to make the sketches of the culprits with the help of the witnesses.
According to Rizvi’s son, Captain Sibtain, his father was on his way home but those were not his usual hours. “He had left work early to celebrate his grandson’s birthday who was also with him at the time of incident, but he was safe.” His son felt that Rizvi was targeted. “It seems that they [culprits] were already present there,” he said. The family demanded the killer be caught and punished severely.
No FIR
Meanwhile, the police have yet to register a case as the family said they will approach them after the burial. “We are waiting for the family,” SHO Qureshi told The Express Tribune. “The family assured us that they would be the complainants in the case.”
The investigators hope to collect crucial evidence from the footage of security cameras belonging to the schools and cameras located along the way.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.
Social activist and a well-known educationist Syed Azfar Rizvi, who was gunned down on Friday evening, was laid to rest amid sobs and tears on Saturday.
The funeral prayers were offered at Darbar Sultan Masjid near his residence in Federal B Area and were attended by a large number of people, including his relatives, colleagues, students as well as leaders and workers from different political and social organisations. Rizvi was later buried at the Yasinabad graveyard. His driver, Abdul Ghafoor, also died in the same attack. His body was sent to his hometown in Punjab for burial.
Extortion, robbery ruled out
The investigators have ruled out the possibility of extortion, robbery and personal enmity behind Rizvi’s assassination. An official told The Express Tribune that neither was the victim killed upon resistance during a robbery bid nor was he under threats from an enemy.
The investigators are trying to probe the case believing that Rizvi was targeted either because of his mistaken sect or his affiliation with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). According to SHO Haseeb Qureshi, the victim’s name was common among Shia so he may have been targeted over a mistaken identity. He was also close to the MQM, he pointed out.
“There are rare chances that his identity was mistaken as he was a high-profile personality and target killers usually kill their target after proper homework,” said Qureshi. “The MQM factor is also important.”
The empty shells found from the crime scene have been sent to the Sindh police forensic division while the police investigators are also trying to make the sketches of the culprits with the help of the witnesses.
According to Rizvi’s son, Captain Sibtain, his father was on his way home but those were not his usual hours. “He had left work early to celebrate his grandson’s birthday who was also with him at the time of incident, but he was safe.” His son felt that Rizvi was targeted. “It seems that they [culprits] were already present there,” he said. The family demanded the killer be caught and punished severely.
No FIR
Meanwhile, the police have yet to register a case as the family said they will approach them after the burial. “We are waiting for the family,” SHO Qureshi told The Express Tribune. “The family assured us that they would be the complainants in the case.”
The investigators hope to collect crucial evidence from the footage of security cameras belonging to the schools and cameras located along the way.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.