Murder mystery: ‘Target killers’ involved in assassinations of two MPAs caught

The Rangers arrested the suspects during a targeted raid in Gulshan-e-Maymar

KARACHI: The Rangers informed an anti-terrorism court on Saturday about the 90-day preventive detention of two alleged target killers for interrogation.

The suspects, Akbar Hussain alias Kala and Konain Hyder Rizvi, were presented in the chamber of ATC-I judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso amid tight security. The arrested suspects are involved in numerous cases of target killings, extortion and arson during strikes, said the Rangers spokesperson. They are also accused of being involved in the targeted killings of two provincial assemblies members, Sajid Qureshi and Raza Haider. The two suspects are also affiliated with a political party, said the Rangers' spokesperson.

The Rangers filed an application claiming that the suspects were picked up in Gulshan-e-Maymar during a targeted raid after receiving credible information about their involvement in targeted killings and other offences that fall within the ambit of The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.

Hussain is also suspected to be involved in cracker attacks on MQM elections camps during the last elections. Four MQM election camps in Azizabad, Nazimabad, Mukka Chowk and Yousuf Plaza, were attacked by crackers allegedly on the directives of the MQM leadership in an attempt to gain public sympathy.

On the other hand, Rizvi has been involved in seven cases of target killings, besides extortion and arson during strikes. The suspects have been placed under a three-month preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE of ATA for inquiry, said a Ranger's official.

MQM's reaction

Referring to the Ranger's claim that they had arrested two MQM workers for the killing of its two parliamentarians, Dr Farooq Sattar said that innocent people are being falsely charged. "The police had claimed earlier that they had arrested the killers of MPA Sajjad Qureshi and Raza Haider, and now by arresting our workers, they are claiming to have arrested the killers."

The party leader highlighted a news story said that in 2011, the police after investigations had concluded that people from banned outfit were involved in the killing of MPA Raza Haider.

High-profile murders

Sajid Qureshi who was elected from PS-103 constituency was gunned down along with his son Waqas Qureshi when they came out of a mosque after saying their Friday prayers on June 21, 2013, in North Nazimabad.

After his assassination, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had claimed the responsibility for the attack. In a press conference on July 11, 2013, Crime Investigation Department SSP Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Khan claimed to have apprehended six suspects, Talha Bin Badar alias Vicky, Muhammad Asim alias Capri, Kazim Ali Shah, Muhammad Farhan, Obaidur Rehman and Muhammad Shahab alias Chohta, of the banned sectarian outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi's (LeJ) Naeem Bukhari, group, during a targeted raid at Qazzafi Chowk. Khan claimed that the suspects were involved in Qureshi's killing.

Meanwhile, two weeks after the killing of MQM lawmaker Raza Haider on August 2, 2010, CID SSP Fayyaz Khan and Aslam arrested two of Haider's alleged assassins, Waseem alias Baroodi and Abdullah alias Darzi, from Orangi Town. The arrests were announced during a press conference held by the former Sindh IG Sultan Salahuddin Baber Khattak on August 18.

In addition to the assassination of Haider, the accused were also suspected of being involved in more than 10 cases of target killings including the murder of Mirza Khadim Hussain, son of a prominent scholar, Maulana Mirza Yousuf Hussain.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2015.