Family, friends and peers lay Naimat Ali Randhawa to rest

Recently, the senior lawyer had taken up television reporter Wali Khan Babar's case.

KARACHI: A former public prosecutor of the Anti-Terrorism Court and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Sindh’s lawyers wing, Naimat Ali Randhawa, was laid to rest on Friday.

Naimat was shot dead on Thursday night while on his way home to Block-B in North Nazimabad. His son, Tauqeer Ali Randhawa, was also injured in the attack by armed motorcyclists. The son was admitted to the Liaquat National Hospital, where doctors said that he was stable.

The funeral prayers were offered at Masjid-e-Al Markaz near Naimat’s residence after Friday prayers and he was laid to rest at the Paposh Nagar graveyard. A large number of people, including lawyers of the Karachi Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and Sindh Bar Association offered their condolences. No federal or provincial leader from the PML-N, however, attended the funeral.

As a public prosecutor, he had taken up various high-profile cases, including an attack on the US Consulate, attack on former president of Pakistan General (retd) Pervez Musharraf and one on Justice Nizam, and was able to get criminals convicted.

Recently, he had taken up Geo News reporter Wali Khan Babar case. “He was likely to be appointed as a deputy attorney general,” said PML-N’s lawyers wing in-charge, Arshad Jadoon, while talking to The Express Tribune. “This is not the first incident and we have to hold a meeting to review all such cases.”

Earlier, a senior lawyer and a noted Zakir, Kauser Saqlain was gunned down along with his two sons on Mauripur Road on May 29. On May 6, lawyer Shakeel Ahmed Jan Bangash was killed along with his father, Advocate Ali Ahmed. They were suspected to be killed over sectarian basis. Investigating officers have not ruled out of the possibility of a sectarian attack but suspect that Naimat was killed over a different motive, particularly of a professional nature. “Nothing could be said for sure until the investigations are final,” said Central SSP Amir Farooqui.A case has been registered against unidentified persons.

In condemnation

In protest at Naimat’s murder, lawyers in Karachi boycotted legal proceedings on Friday.

The Sindh Bar Council had given the call for boycott to condemn the brutal murder of another practicing lawyer. Responding to the call, the SHC Bar Association members did not turn up in the courts.

SHCBA President Mustafa Lakhani flayed the government for failing to provide protection to the members of the legal fraternity despite repeated requests and protests.

“This is yet another incident of targeted killing of our colleagues,” Lakhani said.

The association’s president, who had finally filed a petition in the high court seeking action against the law enforcement agencies for failing to arrest the killers of nearly 40 lawyers in similar attacks since 2007, said that the Rangers and police had failed to protect life, liberty and property of the citizens, which the Constitution has declared as fundamental rights.

He demanded that the government take serious notice of the prevailing law and order situation in the city. A general body meeting of the SHCBA will be held on Monday to register their protest over the unabated killings of the lawyers, Lakhani announced.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2013.