Sunni Tehrik chief, five others gunned down
KARACHI: Sunni Tehrik
(ST) chief Salim Qadri and five others, including his
brother-in-law, nephew, driver and a police guard, were
killed in an ambush in Baldia Town, here on Friday. One
of the assassins was also killed in the cross fire.
Besides, two minor sons
of the ST leader and another nephew were wounded
critically. The victims were going to offer Juma prayers
in their car. Family members and witnesses at the Civil
Hospital told The News that 42-year-old Salim Qadri left
his home -- situated near 24 Bus Stop of Chandni Chowk,
Saeedabad -- to lead Juma prayers at Noorani Rehmat
Mosque, located in Sector 19-D, Baldia Town by his double
cabin, Toyota Hi-Lux (EF-0790) as per routine.
He was accompanied by
his brother-in-law, Altaf Hussain Qadri (40), two minor
sons Bilal Qadri (4) and Owais Qadri (8), nephew Anis
Qadri (24), driver Abid Baloch (30) and police guard
Hafeez Qadri (27).
As soon as the vehicle
took a turn some yards away from the mosque, six
assassins, armed with sophisticated weapons, ambushed it
from three different directions, pumping dozens of
bullets into their bodies.
"They (killers)
were six in number. After spraying a volley of bullets
over the vehicle, they fled on their motorbikes,"
said a senior police official while quoting eyewitnesses.
When, on hearing heavy gunfire, motorists, pedestrians,
passers-by and some ST workers rushed to the vehicle,
they saw all nine occupants lying in a pool of blood.
"Three of them,
including ST chief Salim Qadri, his gunman and driver had
lost their lives before we reached there," said a
police officer. The police took the police guard, who was
left behind by the people, to the JPMC where he expired.
Later, all of them were
rushed to the Civil Hospital in police vehicles where
doctors pronounced six of them -- Salim Qadri, Anis
Qadri, Altaf Qadri, Hafeez Raza Qadri and Abid Baloch --
dead. The injured sons of the renowned religious figure,
Bilal Qadri and Owais Qadri and another nephew Ahmed Raza
were also admitted.
Meanwhile, Civil
Hospital sources confirmed the arrival of the corpse of
Arshad to hospital's mortuary. Some police sources
claimed that the deceased was one of the assassins, who
sustained bullet injuries when the gunman of the deceased
scholar returned the fire during the attack.
"I have got
information through some very reliable sources that he
was one of assailants who lost his life during the attack
when the police gunman returned the fire," said SSP
CIA Manzoor Mughal while talking to The News.
Hospital sources said
that a card had been recovered from victim's clothes,
bearing his name as Arshad son of Muhammad Ali. They said
that Arshad's family members were frightened and worried.
They said that Arshad, who had been freed from jail three
days ago, was highly worried after his release.
"Today he had told us that he was going to Baldia in
search of work but did not return. Later, we came to know
that he received bullet and had been shifted to Civil
Hospital," one of Arshad's family members said.
However, the killing of
Saleem Qadri followed violent protests by ST workers and
supporters all around the city. Hundreds of protesters
stormed the Civil Hospital and forced the police,
paramedics, doctors and Medico-Legal Officers (MLOs) to
leave. They also started smashing windscreens of dozens
of vehicles, parked in and around the hospital.
Around 18 vehicles of
doctors and hospital authorities, official jeeps of SSP
South, SDM Aarambagh, and DSP Aarambagh and a vehicle of
Khidmat-e-Khalque Foundation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement
were also attacked, and their windscreens were damaged
while four vehicles were torched in Baldia Town.
Intercepting a bus in PIB Colony police area, another mob
set it ablaze, while a Suzuki hi-roof van was torched
near Radio Pakistan and a minibus in Jamshed Quarters
police area.
Angry protestors also
started pelting stones and burnt tyres in Baldia Town.
Mobs of irate youths also forced the shopkeepers of
various markets and trade centres including Jama Cloth,
Saddar, Bhimpura, Garden and Ranchore Line to shut down
their businesses.
Police resorted to
teargas shelling around the Civil Hospital but it proved
useless as the emotionally-charged youths were
uncontrollable. Large contingents of paramilitary Rangers
also dashed there to back the already heavily-deputed
police force at the Civil Hospital and cordoned off the
entire building of the hospital as well as the Sunni
Tehrik's central offices, located in nearby Nanakwara.
A mob of youths beat up
and badly injured Arshad, an activist of Sipah-e-Sahaba,
at Patel Para and clashed with other shopkeepers, who
resisted their attempts to shut their business. Reports
said some vicinities were echoing with gunfire where
tension was prevailing including the localities of
Mehmoodabad, Eidgah, Landhi and southern parts of the
city. Iqbal and Lal Muhammad were wounded when they
sustained stray bullets in Bohra Pir area of Nabi Bukhsh
police limits and were taken to the Civil Hospital.
Though soon after the
incident, large and integrated contingents of police
force and paramilitary Rangers started heavy patrolling
all around the megapolis, especially in southern and
eastern districts of the city but tension also gripped
Jamshed Quarters where the largest seminary of the rival
sect Binnori Town Mosque is located.
Shah Turab-ul-Haq, a
senior religious leader, who addressed a hurriedly-called
press conference at his offices near Civil Hospital, said
there could be more violence if the authorities failed to
catch those responsible for the assassinations.
"I would not be
able to stop the mourners," he told reporters.
"Namaz-e-Janaza of the victims would be offered at
Eidgah on MA Jinnah Road after Maghrib prayers on
Saturday evening," Shah said also announcing a
three-day mourning for the assassination.
Police sources claimed
that the assassination of religious leader could be
linked to his group's differences with other sectarian
groups and organisations. Security has been tightened in
the city to prevent unrest and revenge attacks, DIG
Karachi Tariq Jamil said. Qadri had survived a similar
assassination attempt in Lahore in 1996.
Defence disputes confessional statements in Said case
KARACHI, May 18: Arguments in appeals against conviction in Hakim Said murder case continued before an anti-terrorism appellate bench of the Sindh High Court on Friday.
The bench consisted of Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Ataur Rahman.
Mahmood Alam Rizvi, counsel for Shakir, one of the nine appellants, dwelt with the confessional statement of his client, and also referred to relevant portions of the statements of the co-accused to emphasize that these were doctored statements.
He referred to the confessional statements of the other co-accused and emphasized that one thing common in all such statements, along with Shakir's, was that their signatures were obtained first on blank papers and the contents of confession were written afterwards. This, he said, was evident from the manner in which the contents were written in a zig-zag manner.
Justice Ataur Rahman observed that how could the magistrate and the investigation officer commit such a big mistake? Mr Rizvi replied perhaps it was the Almighty's way of helping the innocent.
Mr Rizvi also drew the court's attention to the situation prevailing in the city during October 1998.
It was the period when relations between Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were very tense, and the MQM and the Pakistan People's Party were preparing to move a no-confidence motion against the Liaquat Jatoi government in the Sindh Assembly.
That was why the MQM was implicated in this murder to tarnish its image not only in the city but in the whole country, because everyone respected Hakim Mohammed Said. To realize this heinous objective Aamirullah was made a scapegoat, and he was forced to give a statement in camera, that was shown to Nawaz Sharif, the counsel argued.
He recalled that a team of senior police officials interrogated Aamirullah for three days and declared him innocent. As a consequence, all these officials were transferred in punishment. When the prosecution realized that it was difficult to frame Aamirullah in the case, two eyewitnesses were "created" and confessional statements of five co-accused were "fabricated" which were full of contradictions, the counsel said.
Mr Rizvi claimed that if the confessional statements of the approvers and the film which was to be shown before the formal arrest of Aamirullah were placed before the court, dichotomy in the prosecution's cased would become obvious. He emphasized that the courts were empowered to call for the video film.
At this point, Public Prosecutor M. Ilyas Khan stood up and submitted that it was irrelevant. Mr Rizvi said he was responding to the observations of Justice Ataur Rahman with regard to the failure on the part of the magistrate and the investigation officer to note the glaring mistake on the papers containing the confessional statements.
He pointed out that in Shakir's confessional statement it was stated that he was arrested on January 3, 1999. Had he made that statement voluntarily, he would have quoted Dec 29 as the date of his arrest because on Dec 30 his mother had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Sindh High Court.
He pointed out that the application given for recording confessional statement was dated January 2, 1999. But he emphasized that through over- writing Jan 2 was converted into Jan 4, 1999, and urged the court to take note of this overwriting, and said that overwriting proved that Shakir was in police custody on Jan 2, 1999, and he was not ready to give confessional statement on that date.
Mr Rizvi claimed that when his client refused to give confessional statement, he was tortured in the prison following which he was presented before the military court.
On January 27, 1999 his mother had filed a constitutional petition praying for restraining the prison authorities and the CIA from extracting Shakir's confessional statement.
Mr Rizvi pointed out that in reply to the constitutional petition the CIA had submitted Shakir's confessional statement which was delivered to him the next day, though he was present in the MTC, and the documents which were submitted by the prosecution in the court did not contain Shakir's confession.
He submitted that a look at the confessional statements of the five accused proved that they were fabricated and concocted and had no legal effect.
He also referred to Islamic provisions 8 (a) of the Constitution, according to which an accused could make a confessional statement in the court which was entitled to proceed against him. In this context, he cited Gul Hassan's case of 1989 after which the Federal Shariat Court had declared Articles 229 to 337 of the Constitution against the injunctions of Islam.
After that, in 1990, the Qisas and Diyat Ordinance was promulgated in which the same principle of law was laid down.
The public prosecutor pointed out that an accused could appear in trial court and make a confessional statement.
Mr Rizvi submitted that what he had referred to was the confession prior to the submission of challan, and what Mr Khan had stated related to the situation at the time of framing charge.
The counsel did not agree with the court's observation that the sessions court which would record the confession would also try the case. His contention was that the judge of the court would become a witness and the case would be transferred to another court.
When Justice Soomro observed that this case was of anti-terrorism court, Mr Rizvi disagreed, and said that it was the consensus of the legal fraternity that it was not within the ambit of ATC. It could have been tried by the STA.
He also cited various authorities in this regard. Mr Rizvi was on his feet when the proceedings were adjourned to Tuesday, May 22.
ATC seeks undertaking from Aftab
KARACHI, May 18: An anti-terrorism court ordered on Friday the jail authorities to obtain a security bond from Aftab Shaikh, a detained leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, for his failure to attend the contempt of court proceedings
against him prior to his detention.
Judge Khan Pervaiz Chang of the ATC-4 passed the order on a clarification sought by the Superintendent of Central Prison regarding the release of the Muttahida leader, who was detained on March 21 for 30 days under MPO.
Aftab Shaikh, along with two other party leaders - Nasreen Jalil and Dr. Farooq Sattar - are facing contempt of court charges before ATC-4 for calling the ATCs "police stamped courts" and "kangaroo courts" during a press conference in 1999.
The contempt proceedings were initiated on an application of Naveed Hasni, who was also a complainant in the murder case of his paternal uncle, Naeem Hasni and cousin Danish Hasni, in August 99 by Judge Muhammed Jawaid Alam, the then presiding officer of the ATC-5.
Nawab Mirza, counsel for Farooq Sattar, and Aftab Shaikh challenged the trial court's congnizance of the case in the Sindh High Court. The SHC set aside the impugned order of the trial court on August 8, 2000 and directed it (ATC) to "hear Aftab Ahmed Shaikh and Farooq Sattar and pass a fresh order in accordance with law".
In November last, the complainant withdrew his complaint against the Muttahida leaders submitting before the court that he was not able to pursue the case due to his personal engagements.
The court has fixed June 2 for hearing the final arguments.
Earlier, on May 17 the court issued bailable warrants for the arrest of Nasreen Jalil for not attending the court proceedings despite notices. On the same day, the judge also issued to the jail authorities the production order of the detained Muttahida leader.
The jail authorities on Friday submitted before the court a letter seeking the direction of the court regarding the release of Aftab Shaikh on the expiry of the detention period under MPO. The judge ordered the jail superintendent to obtain an "undertaking bond in the sum of Rs5,000" from the former senator before releasing him.
Body found, 21 vehicles taken away
KARACHI: Decomposed body
of a young Qari was found on the information of a
detained accused from a nullah in Saeedabad police area
on Friday. According to details, Mominabad police on
Thursday arrested Qari Nazeer. During interrogation the
detainee disclosed he had killed his nephew Qari Abdul
Aziz Pesh Imam of the Madressah-e-Tajweed-ul-Quaran four
days back and with the help of his brother Qari Abdul
Lateef threw his body in a nullah.
The police recovered the
body of Abdullah, wrapped in a blanket, from the nullah
near Police Training School, Hub River Road, and shifted
it to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The MLO said the body bore
torture marks and the skull of the victim was smashed.
The police claimed the deceased was first kidnapped from
Madressah by the accused.
ROBBERIES: Armed men
looted cash, US dollars, jewellery and other valuables
from Hasan Mahmood's house in Baloch Colony; cash, gold
ornaments and electrical appliances from the house of
Muhammad Mazhar-ul-Haq in Sharifabad; cash, jewellery and
other valuables from the residence of Ahmed Khan in
Al-Falah. Bandits also took away KESC coils worth Rs 5
million from KESC office in Sachal area, and snatched Rs
7,000 from a bank manager in Artillery Maidan.
The bandits also looted
cash, ornaments, licensed pistol and electrical
appliances from the residence of Ali Murad in Malir City;
cash, jewellery and other valuables from a residence in
Gulistan-e-Jauhar; and cash, ornaments and electrical
appliances from the residence in North Nazimabad.
Meanwhile, the
car-lifters took away seven cars, one Toyota Hilux, two
Suzuki Highroofs and 11 motorcycles from different parts
of the city, while police claimed they recovered one
motorcycle from North Nazimabad.
Mob ransacks police post in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD, May 18: A mob of around 1,000 people smashed a police mobile, took away an official gun, ransacked a police post and burnt police record on Friday after police claimed that an accused, Ashiq Hussain Jatoi
alias Papu Jatoi, "attempted to commit suicide" in police custody at the Pinyari police post in Mirza Para.
Witnesses said that the police brought the accused, Ashiq Hussain, who had been in detention since May 11, to the Pinyari police post in Mirza Para "where he was tortured."
The DSP, Phuleli, Abdul Qayyum Pitafi, and the SHO, Pinyari police station, Asad Qadri, claimed that the accused tried to commit suicide by cutting his veins with a blade.
Witnesses told Dawn that Ashiq Hussain was brought to the police post at around 4am on Friday. After the accused suffered severe injuries and fell unconscious, police approached the doctor of a private hospital, which is located in the same area. The police did not take the accused to the government hospital Paretabad or the Liaquat Medical University Hospital apparently to avoid legal hitches.
However, when the relatives and notables of the area forced the police to at least inform them whether the accused was alive, some of them were allowed to visit him.
Soon Ashiq Jatoi was taken to another private hospital of Phuleli Bazaar, Azeem Hassan Medical Centre where he was provided medical aid by Dr Azeem Hassan and Dr Hassan Qureshi, the administrator of the hospital.
Dr Hassan Qureshi told Dawn that the injured bore cut injuries on his head, shoulder, arms, chest and abdomen, which were inflicted with a sharp blade. He was profusely bleeding when he was brought to the hospital by the police, said the doctor. He added that the injured suffered around 150 stitches and was still unconscious.
Awami Tehrik leaders see threat to Palijo's life
HYDERABAD, May 18: Leaders of Awami Tehrik have alleged that the life of AT chief Rasool Bux Palijo was in grave danger and demanded of the authorities that he should be provided full protection by the state and the Sindh government.
In a joint statement issued here on Friday, Syed Alam Shah, Abrar Qazi, Dr Nazeer Shaikh, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Gul Hassan Keerano, Ms Nazeer Qureshi, Vishnomal and others have drawn the attention of the authorities "to a very grave and imminent mortal threat directed against an eminent figure of Pakistan and leader of Awami Tehrik".
They said that they have sent urgent telegrams to the President and the Chief Executive, the Sindh Governor, the Corps Commander, the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court and all other concerned officials about the impending danger.
They claimed that they had been informed by official circles that the self-exiled chief of an urban terrorist organisation had directed his henchmen and fellow criminals to eliminate Rasool Bux Palijo.
They reminded the authorities that the late Awami Tehrik leader Fazil Rahu was also informed weeks before his murder in 1987 that he would be eliminated and the tragedy took place soon after.
Similarly, they said, Murtaza Bhutto, hours before he was gunned down had also held a press conference and said that he knew of a plan to kill him.
They said now they were facing a similar threat in which notorious Sindhi terrorists had been let loose by the urban terrorists chief to eliminate Palijo.
AT leader Dr Nazeer Shaikh told Dawn that it was no publicity stunt and added that the threat to Palijo's life was real.
Moot on Sindh's rights opens in Washington
WASHINGTON, May 18: A two-day conference on "Sindh and its Right to Self-determination" began here on Thursday evening with the prominent Baloch leader, Ataullah Mengal, as one of the leading participants.
The keynote address at the conference's inaugural session was delivered by Jose Ramos-Horta, the East Timorese leader who shared the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize with fellow campaigner for Timorese independence from Indonesia Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo.
The conference, which has been organized by the Washington-based World Sindhi Institute, also has representation from India in the persons of former law minister Ram Jethmalani and BJP vice-president K.R. Malkani. A similar conference was held last year and had created controversy because of the presence of right-wing revivalists and Hindu fundamentalists from India.
A resolution to be presented for adoption at the end of the conference says peace in Pakistan and South Asia can only be assured when the Pakistan government recognizes and constitutionally enshrines federalism, including Sindh's right to self-determination, secularism, democracy and the rule of law.
It says dismantling the internal colonial structures is the key towards lasting, meaningful peace in Pakistan in particular and South Asia in general, and underlines the right of the "Sindhi diaspora" to return to Sindh.
The resolution expresses concern at the "rise of Islamic fundamentalism or Talibanization of society and polity in Pakistan," which has led to "consequences for the religious minorities, uncertainty respecting heritage sites of the Sindhi people such as Moenjodaro, tensions in the region, and (which) has impaired the Sindhi people's right to practice their Sufi faith."
The conference organizers were due to hold a demonstration for the Sindhi rights and federalism, and against the military government before Pakistan embassy here on Friday afternoon.
Captive tycoon killed as police arrest kidnappers
LAHORE: A business
tycoon Zahid Hafeez, who was kidnapped from Lahore over a
month ago, was shot dead by his captors in Islamabad on
Friday. Though the Lahore police miserably failed to
trace the accused's hideout and recover the victim,
Islamabad police not only managed to arrest the murderer
but also arrested his two accomplices.
The victim, who hailed
from Township, was kept in a hideout in Islamabad for the
last one month. Police said Zahid attempted to flee from
the accused's hideout when he was shot dead.
Though the hunt for the
alleged kidnapper Rana Sarwat was on but the accused
remained dodging entire Punjab police and other agencies
and later managed to escape to US. Senior police
officers, including Model Town CIA DSP Shafqat Ahmad,
claimed that Rana Sarwat was hiding in New Jersey where
he had set up a departmental store. The police also
believe that the accused contacted the family many a time
and asked for a ransom in millions of rupees but the
family was reluctant to pay the ransom. They said that
the accused had joined hands with an absconding killer
Naeem Raza. "Sarwat met Naeem in Norway where the
both planned for the kidnap," sources said.
Illegal mixing of staff: Taliban raid hospital
KABUL, May 18: Taliban's religious police squads on Thursday raided an Italian-funded surgical hospital here for after alleging that the hospital had allowed illegal mixing of men and women personnel.
They said around 20 armed soldiers entered the newly-inaugurated hospital and beat up the staff, including one foreign doctor.
The religious police, officially referred to as personnel of the Ministry for Fostering Virtue and Suppressing Vice, accused the hospital of allowing male and female staff to have lunch together, they said.
The hospital staff said the dining hall had been separated by a curtain. Three people - two local guards and a hospital security in-charge, were detained.
"The religious police entered the hospital while we were having our lunch, scattered around and ordered us not to move, and then they started beating and harassing the staff," one witness said. The hospital's management discharged its 40-odd patients after giving them some cash and medicines as a mark of protest against the raid, he said.
The hospital, co-funded by the Italian foreign ministry and the Milan-based Emergency aid group, admitted its first patient, a Taliban soldier, on April 25. It is the first hospital to be independently run in Taliban-held areas of Afghanistan.
The 120-bed hospital has 220 staff, including a team of 16 western surgeons as well as Afghan women to treat the war-wounded Afghans.-AFP