Rangers arrest suspects in Tahir Plaza tragedy

Suspects are accused of setting ablaze Tahir Plaza on April 9, 2008

KARACHI: The Rangers claim to have arrested three key suspects allegedly involved in the incident that took place at Tahir Plaza back in 2008. Around six people, including two women identified as Razia Batool and Sobia, were burned to death.

On Monday, the Rangers announced that they had arrested the former union council nazim of Lines Area, Naeem, Muhammad Ali Qureshi alias Darinada alias Kala alias Kankata and Shams during ongoing targeted raids in the city.

The suspects were accused of setting the building on fire with flammable substances. A Rangers spokesperson said that the men confessed to their involvement in the Tahir Plaza incident during the interrogation.

Advocate Aftab Abbasi, Basit Muhammad, Danish Akhtar and Syed Dawar Hussain also died in the fire at the plaza, which was popularly known as the Lawyers Plaza as several lawyers and members of the Karachi Bar Association have offices there.

The spokesperson said that investigations were still being carried out. He appealed to the citizens to share details if anyone knew anything about what happened on April 9, 2008.

Sources claimed that the attack was allegedly undertaken to stop lawyers from protesting and supporting former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Previously, two men identified as Wamiq Siddiqui and Syed Nadeem Hussain Zaidi, were arrested by the Rangers in connection to the Tahir Plaza attack. They were, however, released due to a lack of evidence.

In custody

A former chairperson of the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (Abad), Babar Chughtai, was reportedly detained by law enforcers during a raid at his residence in Karachi. He was allegedly detained on suspicion of his involvement in land grabbing. The Rangers and police, however, have denied the arrest.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2015.