Karachi Police arrested five alleged hitmen and facilitators involved in the assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and former MNA, Syed Ali Raza Abidi. According to information available to media sources, five members of an 11-member gang, which was directly involved in Abidi’s killing, were arrested from Lyari. Once arrested, the accused are said to have confessed to killing the late lawmaker on the political grounds by taking “wage”. As many as eight members of the gang were tasked to trace him while a trained rider along with the shooter was hired to assassinate him. The law enforcing agencies traced the accused following a clue from the murder of another young boy Ehtisham, in the city’s area of Liaquatabad, last year. As relayed by sources, the two key suspects have already fled to Iran while investigation against those rounded up is still underway. Abidi, 46, was shot dead on December 25, last year outside his house in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Karachi. The CCTV footage of the incident showed two unidentified assailants chasing Abidi. When the politician stopped his vehicle in front of his residence.
Published in Daily Times, February 16th 2019.
