Pakistan

MQM worker identified as main shooter in Rangers’ murder case

The witness is a Rangers personnel who identified the suspect thrice from a dozen dummies

Zubair Ashraf July 06, 2015

Express News screengrab of Umair Siddiqui

KARACHI: An eyewitness identified on Monday Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) worker Umair Hussain Siddiqi alias Jailor, as the main shooter in a Rangers personnel's murder case.

The witness, who is a member of the paramilitary force and was injured in the firing, identified Siddiqi thrice from among a dozen dummies before an East district judicial magistrate. Siddiqi is alleged to have committed, ordered or abetted at least 64 acts of targeted killing.

He has been accused of gunning down Rangers lance naik Shaukat and wounding another in the Mausamiyat area in December, 2010. The case was registered at the Mobina Town police station under Section 302, premeditated murder, and 324, attempted murder, read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The suspect was reportedly arrested during the March 11 raid at the MQM headquarters along with several others convicted and wanted criminals, however, he denied this, contending that he was picked up in February from his home.

Siddiqi, who worked as a computer programmer at a public health institute in Liaquatabad and volunteered at the party election cell, has been presented as a commander of a target killing cartel in the city.

According to a press release issued by the Rangers two months ago when his arrest was revealed, the suspect had formed a team, comprising 23 shooters, to carry out terrorism activities in the city on the directives of a former party leader, Hammad Siddiqi.

Subsequently, he was implicated in two cases of murder, including the one he has been identified in, after his three-month preventative detention. In the other case, he has been accused of killing two tea vendors in Gulshan-e-Maymar.

The judge, after presiding over the identification parade, sealed his report to send it to the Anti Terrorism Court trying the suspect.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2015.

COMMENTS (21)

Azmat Ali | 9 years ago | Reply @Sarmad: It is exactly because of those issues that we put MQM in power. Almost since its inception, they've had the power to blackmail central governments into providing all the support they need. Unfortunately, the support requested was not for the electorate, but to fill up their own pockets. @Ali: Since when has being civil and cultured become the sole domain of the rich? Yes, under MQM's regime, the entire educational standard collapsed, and consequently, the less affluent suffered far greater in this regard, while the more fortunate got to go to the better standard schools. (By the way, I am a graduate of Gulistan School and National College. Can't get any more middle class than that, right!!). It is now impossible to sit with your family in a public place where 3 - 4 or more teenagers are hanging out. The language, the rudeness and the downright abusive behavior demonstrated is not just infuriating but humiliating for me and my family. This was never how the Mohajirs behaved. Now goonism has become the trademark of a Muhajir youth, especially for those masses that are stuck in the lower middle class and sinking further down every day. Throw out the current set of goons and bring in those who may still have the betterment of the Mohajirs at the core of their hearts. I am not against MQM, but I am against the mindset that not only prevails within the party today but that it exports to its supporters and those most impressionable. If we continue to toe the line, we will absolutely lose the very reasons that we wanted to distinguish ourselves.

Waqas Farooq Khan | 9 years ago | Reply Mr Faisal Sabzwari should be investigated as he can always be seen along with Umair.

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Ashraf | 9 years ago | Reply After trying every single trick to frame MQM, the efforts are still on. Beat somebody up until he "confesses". Ridiculous!!

OBSERVER | 9 years ago | Reply politicians are busy in corruption and transferring money through carrier.,anchors busy trying to stay with powerful,tv fighting for the ranking,judiciary busy with political cases and not taking notice of extra-judicial killing and illegal detention,army busy planting news and getting desired confessional statement under PPO..this the hard fact but no body taking notice of common man dying due to lack o electricity,water ,heat waves,price hike...

AK | 9 years ago | Reply If all these stories are true then why the governor is not removed and arrested as he is one of the top leaders for the last 12 years.

ali | 9 years ago | Reply Please do not stereotype the entire Mohajir community by saying they are illiterate if some of Mqm workers are not well educated. Not everybody has equal resources and opportunity to study. Kindly refrain from blaming a political party if it's supporters are not educated. @Azmat Ali:

ali | 9 years ago | Reply So rangers have no respect getting beaten by their own citizens for their attitude. And now crying about it. I have no sympathy with Rangers been a witness of their brutality.

Sarmad | 9 years ago | Reply @Azmat Ali: I agree what you said but equally on the same note I would ask you investigate the background of all the current plight of mohajirs. You will agree that mohajirs were/are deprived despite of all their capabilities and merits just for not being 'sons of soil'. This treatment from sons of soil caused a retaliation in other direction and capable and educated people started thinking otherwise. If merit would have prevailed in all aspects of life the thugs would have discouraged and people would never pay attention to them. Now the situation has reached to such a point that an essential surgery is required in order to bring the society fabric to the normalcy. But the question is who is going to take this dare.

Ibrar | 9 years ago | Reply @Azmat Ali: Very very impressive account indeed. Thank you. Mohajirs are a proud part of Pakistani nation and will continue to do so. Sadly the MQM leadership may have tarnished their image but all is not lost. Mohajirs have to now deny these so called leaders any further chance to remain on the helm of affairs and replace them with those who can rebuild the community and the country.

Urban Legend | 9 years ago | Reply Now put all the open cases against MQM workers under custody. And please, do not touch the real culprits of target killings and extortions in Karachi.

Azmat Ali | 9 years ago | Reply Being a Karachiite and a "Mohajir", I too had my hopes pinned to the Mohajir Leadership of MQM, that they will prove to all concerned that the Mohajirs are the most literate, cultured and organized of all ethnicities in Pakistan. Alas, MQM failed us all, not just the Mohajirs, but the entire Pakistani nation. With ultimate power at their call, in Karachi, they did nothing to better the lot of the Mohajirs. In the 25 odd years they have been in politics, Mohajirs, as a community, have deteriorated in every aspect we were proud of: education, civility, culture, and civic performance. The Mohajir youth of today, unfortunately, is uncouth, practically illiterate, have no civility worth the name, is unaware of his / her duty to the society. In all these years, instead of modernizing the curriculum of the Karachi Board and raising the stature of Karachi's education to that of an international level, MQM made cheating so commonplace that studying for exams started to seem like a joke. MQM's thuggish behavior, tolerated initially as the reaction to external actions, never abated and became the modus operandi for all activities in the party and its followers. Every bad action became justified in the name of the Mohajir cause and with time, thuggery and lawlessness became the norm, instead of a tolerated quirk. The amazing talent available to MQM could have been harnessed to make the Karachi public services into model places of service. Instead, these became siphons for collecting ill gotten wealth and putting the same into financing even more ill gotten monies. Any MQM leadership, with even the most basic of goodwill in their hearts, would have done many times better than what they have performed over the years. Their inability to rein in the downward spiral into the current morass feels more like a well thought out plan than mere incompetence. For all of this mess, I now hold MQM responsible, and therefore, have no qualms in accepting that for their own personal sakes, each of these MQM leaders knowingly lead the Mohajirs (and consequently Pakistan) down this path of destruction and mayhem.

raider | 9 years ago | Reply @z: all aims and wishes never come true in life, likely our old ambition to bring justice perpetrators of attack at SC, money launderers of 90s, recruiter of illegitimate tehsildars and thandars and panting long march against elected govt to get a biased judge restored and stealing mandate of peoples by taking money from establishment

Haier Mobile Prices | 9 years ago | Reply justice to be served so these criminals can't roam around the city freely, banning MQM will solve 80 percent of city security problems.

sehr.siddiqui | 9 years ago | Reply The operation seems to be un-even. This has to be even handed and similar action be taken against all parties including PPP, PML(N), Imran Party and religious parties to improve the general perception.

Lion King | 9 years ago | Reply MQM is a mafia that has caused most damage to Urdu speaking people and Karachi. MQM Mafia has been hands in glove partners with Zardari sindhi corruption party in looting and destroying Karachi besides turning the Sindh Secretariat in Karachi in Sindhi only Secretariat

Muhammad | 9 years ago | Reply MQM has hijacked Karachi peace for 3 decades. Its time to ban this terrorist organisation.

Raisani | 9 years ago | Reply This filth called MQM should be dealt with once n for all.

z | 9 years ago | Reply I wish to see same action plan against Imran Niazi for staging dharna causing death to attendees, attack on parliament and police station, attack on PTV and waiting for third umpire etc. On top, have no evidences to prove his accusations. Shame on him!

Abbas | 9 years ago | Reply Framing of MQM members begins!!!

Hammad | 9 years ago | Reply I wish to see same action plan against the evil Zardari and Nawaz and their Team.

hamback | 9 years ago | Reply RIP Justice..

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