Seeking justice: Protesters block KKH demanding arrest of target killers

Demonstrators say police not interested in protecting Shias.

ABBOTABAD:

A large number of Shias took to the streets and blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) for over two hours on Saturday to demand the immediate arrest of the killers of a retired military officer and his son.

Ghulam Mustafa Shirazi, the retired soldier, and his son Waseem Shirazi, both residents of Sarban Colony, were on their way to offer Friday prayers when armed motorcyclists ambushed the two. The father and son were taken to Combined Military Hospital Abbottabad and pronounced dead on arrival.

Senior figures of the Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen and Shia Ulema Council termed the double murder as targeted action against Shias.

The demonstrators led by Dr Hasnain Raza Turabi, protested against the murders on Saturday. The coffins of the victims were carried to Fawara Chowk and placed in the middle of the highway, suspending traffic for over two hours.

Participants of the rally accused the police of remaining indifferent to the troubles faced by Shias. They said law-enforcement agencies had failed to provide protection and issued an ultimatum of four days to arrest the killers to avoid further agitation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2014.