EU deplores Sabeen’s murder

All citizens of Pakistan must be guaranteed their constitutional right to freedom of expression, says EU delegation

ISLAMABAD:

The European Union (EU) delegation to Pakistan on Sunday condemned the killing of human rights activist and director of The Second Floor (T2F) café Sabeen Mahmud in Karachi.

The delegation, in a statement issued by the EU mission in Islamabad, called on Pakistani authorities to ensure that “the perpetrators of this cowardly act are swiftly brought to justice”.

“All citizens of Pakistan must be guaranteed their constitutional right to freedom of expression and to engage in democratic debate freely and without fear,” the statement said. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Ms Mahmud,” it added.

Meanwhile, the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) denied involvement in Sabeen’s murder while claiming responsibility for the killing of two policemen in Karachi the same day.

“We categorically deny involvement in the murder of Sabeen Mahmud,” TTP spokesman Mohammad Khorasani said in a statement emailed to the media.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2015.