Unrest continues: Victims of Tuesday killings laid to rest

Parts of Sindh observe partial shutdown to mourn deaths.

SUKKUR/ HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: The victims of the target killings on Tuesday were laid to rest on Wednesday as the city spent another tense day.

The funeral prayers of slain leader of Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Allama Deedar Ali Jalbani and his security guard were offered on main MA Jinnah Road. MWM Sindh chapter cheif Allama Nasir Abbas Jafri led the prayers that were attended by several leaders. Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of the three members of Tableeghi Jamaat were also offered on the same day at Jamia Binoria Almia Muhammadi after Asr prayers.



MWM Karachi’s deputy secretary general Allama Jalbani and his security guard-cum-driver were shot dead near NED University in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Tuesday. His death was severely criticised by the party and led to a partial shutdown of the city. By Tuesday night, the killings had gone up to 13, including that of three Tableeghi Jamaat members and five Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants.

Out of the three Tableeghi Jamaat members, two were foreigners - Maulana Abdul Majeed, 60, and Omer Khittab, 50, had dual nationalities of Pakistan and Morocco. They have been buried for the time being in Jamia Binoria’s graveyard and will be moved to Morocca when the families arrive.

Condemning their killings, Jamia Binoria’s administrator, Mufti Naeem, said the two men came for tableegh with some family members. “It is clear that this is not sectarianism but a conspiracy to instigate sectarian violence.” Mufti Naeem demanded law enforcers arrest the culprits behind the incident. The third member, Salman, was buried at Sakhi Hassan graveyard.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the five alleged TTP members, who were gunned down near Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi on Tuesday night, were shifted to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth. Police officials said the police are waiting for their families, who are likely to take the bodies to Mohmand Agency.

Allami Jalbani’s body was flown to Sukkur from where it was taken to Thari Mir Wah for burial on Wednesday evening. Some arrangements for his funeral prayers were made at Imambargah Anjuman Haideri, Khairpur, where a large number of people were waiting for the body. However, some enraged men fired aerial shots and the body was flown straight to his native village, Raheem Khan Jalbani, for burial to avoid any untoward incident. Jalbani’s driver was buried in Wadiye Hussain in Karachi.

Protest

The MWM had also called a strike against the killings on Wednesday, when they criticised the frequent killings of their members. “These ongoing killings have proved that the Rangers and police are conducting cosmetic operations and have failed to curb target killings,” complained MWM leader Allama Sadiq Raza Taqvi, while addressing the participants. He insisted there are no rivalries between Shias and Sunnis and both communities have always existed peacefully. Several neighbourhoods in Karachi and parts of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Benazirabad, Badin, Jamshoro, Thari Mir Wah and other cities were shut down to mark the MWM’s three days of mourning.

Investigations

According to SHO Jamal Leghari, the police are waiting for the complainants to register the murder of Allama Jalbani. He added that the killings of two Karachi University students on November 29 might have been carried out by the same men.

Sharae Noor Jahan police have registered a case of the Tableeghi members’ murders in an FIR No. 446/13, under Sections 302, 324 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2013.