Sunni Tehrik Chief, six others shot dead in Karachi
18-05-2001

KARACHI, May 18: Sunni Tehrik chief Maulana Saleem Qadri and five of his associates were shot dead and three others wounded when six unidentified attackers ambushed their vehicle in Baldia Town on Friday.

One of the assailants was also killed when the wounded police guard of the ST leader, Hafeez Qadri, returned the fire.

The dead were identified as Anis Qadri, 23; and Altaf Husain, 40; nephew and brother-in-law of Maulana Qadri, respectively; Ibrahim Qadri, 30; van driver Abid Baloch, 30; and constable Hafeez Qadri. The wounded included Ahmed Raza, 7; and Owais, 6; sons of Maulana Qadri, and nephew Bilal, 13.

Witnesses and the police said that the ST leader and his companions were going in their double-cabin van (EF-0779) to Noor Masjid in Rasheedabad No 7 for Juma prayers when the armed men riding three motorcycles intercepted them and sprayed the van with bullets from three sides.

The assailants then drove away, leaving the victims in a pool of blood. They were taken to the Civil Hospital in private vehicles. Maulana Qadri, Altaf Husain, Ibrahim and driver Abid Baloch were declared dead on arrival at the hospital, sources said. Anis Qadri died after awhile. Hafeez, the guard, was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead.

The attacker killed was identified as Arshad, sources said. The deputy commissioner of West, Roshan Ali Shaikh, told Dawn that the attackers were well-trained and they targeted the heads of their victims.

The DC said that although some angry people had taken to the streets in some of the localities, the overall law and order situation was under control. Maulana Qadri, he said, had been provided with four guards but he had taken only one of them with him, leaving the rest at his residence.

He said sketches of the assailants were being prepared with the help of witnesses. The news spread like a jungle fire, and the people of the area, most of them followers of the Sunni Tehrik, rushed to the scene of the ambush. The atmosphere got tense and some of the enraged people set some old tyres on fire.

The police and the law enforcement agencies arrived at the spot and cordoned of the troubled area. The SDM of Baldia Town, Ghulam Husain Memon, told Dawn that at least six armed men on three motorcycles had attacked Maulana Qadri's vehicle.

The bullet-riddled van, towed to the Baldia Town police station, had all its windowpanes smashed and seats soaked with blood. People said Maulana Qadri used to lead Juma prayers at Noor Masjid and he usually took the same route to the mosque. A number of the ST activists gathered at the Civil Hospital, where the police closed the gates to the casualty ward.

The situation went of control when Iqbal Qadri, elder brother of Maulana Qadri, fell unconscious and was taken to the emergency ward. Enraged people outside the emergency ward chanted slogans against the government before they forcibly entered the ward. They ransacked the ward, forcing the doctors to run away. The police resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the mob. The condition of many patients at different wards deteriorated due to shelling and they were provided with oxygen.

The mob then moved to Baba-i-Urdu Road, Chand Bibi Road, M.A. Jinnah Road and other surrounding roads where they pelted the vehicles with stones, and forced the shopkeepers to close down their shops. Windscreens of over 24 of the parked vehicles at the Civil Hospital were smashed. The windowpanes of the vehicle of SSP South (SP-1246) were also smashed.

Qadri's murder:Jihad veterans add violence to intra-Sunni rift

KARACHI: The Karachi police officials believe that a new chapter of "intra-Sunni" violence has been added to the prevalent sectarian tension in the country after they discovered that the six gunmen who ambushed Maulana Qadri and his guards Friday belonged to a rival militant Sunni organisation earlier known exclusively for its armed strikes against the Shia sect.

A senior police source has disclosed to The News that one of the assailants who was killed in a brief exchange of fire with Maulana Qadri's guards had been identified as Arshad Khan alias Polka, an activist of the best known anti-Shia Sunni group. Police said that Arshad Khan, according his family sources, had also participated in Jihad inside Indian-occupied Kashmir with a new Jihadi, but one of the most potent, outfit last year.

Senior intelligence officials had earlier believed that the elements who participated in Jihad across the borders in Kashmir had never been involved in violence, particularly that relates to sectarian issues, inside Pakistan. The Jihadi organisations routinely claim that they had no interest in local political or religious issues.

Security officials said that they had received reports that various Jihadi elements had broken ranks with their Jihad-focussed organisations to form independent armed groups committed to settle scores with their religious rivals in the country. These sources believed that these elements drew financial, material and ideological support from Riaz Basra, Pakistan's most wanted militant believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.

Top police and intelligence officials agree that the Friday's incident was the most dangerous incident of violence ever reported in the country after years long simmering of intra-sunni friction based on Deobandi and Bralevi schools of thought. The entire Jihadi cadre of religious elements in Pakistan almost exclusively belonged to the Deobandi school of thought while the Bralevis abstained from Jehadi or anti-Shia militant activities.

Analysts noted with interest that Maulana Salim Qadri, the head of the Sunni Tehrik which in recent years had emerged as the flag-bearer religious organisation for Sunni Bralevis in Pakistan was targeted on May 18 which interestingly marked the first death anniversary of Maulana Yusuf Ludhianvi, a non-political religious scholar of international repute for the Deobandi Sunni all over the subcontinent. Maulana Ludhianvi had been ambushed in an identical manner on way to the famous New Town mosque and madrassa same day last year.

The funeral processions of both Maulana Ludhianve and Maulana Qadri, attended by tens of thousands of charged religious activists, remained the biggest in the recent history of Karachi, which in seventies and eighties had served as a stronghold of the religious parties. During that period Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and various factions of Jamiat-ul Ulama-e-Islam (JUI) had represented the religious Deobandi cardre, while various groups of Jamiatul Ulama-e-Pakistan had represented Karachi's Sunni Bralevis people on the national political front.

Police sources said that the Friday's tragic killing capped months of tension between the Bralevi and Deobandi activists on the issues ranging from control of mosques to the collection of donations across the country particularly in Karachi which had seen a sudden increase in recruitment for Jihad and Jihadi donation activities.

These sources said that at present severe tension existed between the Deobandi and Bralevi militants over the control of mosque in the densely populated neighborhoods from Orangi Town in district West to Korangi in district East of Karachi.

Federal officials are particularly concerned at this particular incident of religious terrorism as it came only a few weeks before the final two phases of local government elections that involve holding of polls in all major cities of the country. These officials say that uncertainty that has heightened religious tension may minimise polls related activities and may have an impact on the polls turnout.

While the killing of six people including Maulana Salim Qadri is the first high profile case of intra-Sunni terrorism, the sectarian tension between Sunnis and Shias in the country has left at least 450 people killed in at least 125 cases of religious terrorism in the country since the military take-over in October 1999.

Tension in Patel Para as Qadri's alleged killer buried

KARACHI May 21: Tension gripped the entire Business Recorder Road and its adjoining Patel Para vicinity when the body of Arshad Ali, an activist of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), was shifted to his home on Monday. Arshad lost his life mysteriously in an ambush that left Sunni Tehreek chief Salim Qadri and his four aides dead and three minors wounded.

Some emotionally charged youth created law and order situation by pelting stones on moving vehicles forcing suspension of the traffic and closure of the main city artery for many hours. Heavily armed contingents of police and Rangers cordoned off the entire area till Namaz-e-Janazah of the victim and his funeral procession. Sources from the religious circles said that some family members including Muhammad Ali, father of the victim, received the body from Edhi Home Sohrab Goth early on Monday.

Law enforcers were deputed at different entry points to divert the traffic to other routes to avert any loss of vehicles or human lives. The traffic was affected from First Chowrangi Nazimabad to Guru Mandir; from Tin Hatti to Guru Mandir; and from Mazar-e-Quaid to Guru Mandir for a period from noon till late in the night.

The funeral prayers were offered at the Subhani Masjid in Patel Para, which was largely attended by the leaders of religious and Jihadi organisations. Following the Namaz-e-Janazah, the funeral was taken to the Essa Nagri Graveyard near Old Sabzi Mandi. Some participants of the funeral were raising slogans against the government, police, administration and rival groups.

"No incident of stone pelting took place during funeral procession or burial," DIG Tariq Jamil told The News. "Though the traffic was suspended due to the funeral but that caused no serious problem," he added. The SSP East, Rehmat Khan Masood, also endorsed his chief's statement, saying: "There was nothing to be considered as a law and order situation."

In a related development, heirs of Salim Qadri distributed copies of the FIR lodged by Iqbal Qadri, elder brother of the slain ST leader, in connection with the killing of Salim Qadri and his four aides, holding Arshad, an activist of a rival organisation, as responsible.

In his complaint, registered on May 18, vide FIR 73/2001 with Baldia Town police, Iqbal said that his brother used to lead the Jumma prayers at the Noorani Mosque in Mohajir Camp No VII, Baldia Town. He said when they reached near the mosque, armed assailants ambushed the vehicle from three directions and killed Salim and four others.

Iqbal claimed that one of the assassins was also killed when Salim's gunman returned the fire. He was later identified as Arshad alias Polka, affiliated with rival religious organisation SSP and Jihadi organisation, Jaish-e-Muhammad. The complainant claimed that his brother and aides were gunned down by Arshad and his comrades.

On Monday, some senior Sunni Tehreek leaders threatened that the situation might turn more dangerous. Addressing various groups of followers and mourners of the ST leader, Maulana Iftikhar Bhatti, Maulana Akram Qadri and Maulana Abbas Qadri said that there could be more violence if the authorities failed to catch those responsible for the killing.

SSP DENIES CHARGES: The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) has denied the charges, terming the whole episode a drama instigated by the agencies sponsored by the government. Member Markazi Shoorah of the SSP and Deputy Secretary Information Karachi, Hafiz Abu Atique-ur-Rehman, who is also president of the party in District East, when contacted by The News said: "It is a drama of the agencies and the government. We have repeatedly said that Arshad was our activist and was kidnapped from the limits of Soldier Bazaar police. We have never opposed any Sunni sect and are only against the Shias. Even then we have never been involved in killing any Shia. We believe in negotiations and arguments and have nothing to do with killings."

Clue found to killers of Sunni Tehrik leader

KARACHI, May 21: The Sindh governor, Mohammedmian Soomro, on Monday, described the killing of Sunni Tehrik leader, Saleem Qadri and five others as "very sad", and said that no effort would be spared to bring the assassins to book.

Talking to journalists after the oath-administration ceremony of his new cabinet minister at the Governor's House, Mr Soomro said that the government was making all-out efforts to maintain peace, harmony and tranquillity in the city and to check these kind of killings, the support and assistance of the community as a whole was required.

He pointed out that when personal enmities get involved, there is little the government can do. It is here that community involvement becomes essential.

"We will do everything possible, but the community's role is equally important. The people should practice tolerance as the government alone cannot do everything."

He told a questioner that the police have made some headway in investigations concerning the assassination of the ST leader, but it would be premature to say anything at this stage. He said that as soon as details were made available, they would be divulged.

To a question, he pointed out that a co-ordinated process is underway for the de-weaponization of society and to check sectarian feelings. When asked about the water situation in the province, the governor said that it had improved.

He said Sindh had no water dispute with Punjab and whatever differences there were had been sorted out.

In reply to a question, the governor said that if need be, the cabinet could be further expanded and that he was satisfied with the performance of his ministers.

As regards the finalization of arrangements for the forthcoming local bodies elections, with particular reference to law and order, the governor said that the government and administration were making co-ordinated arrangements and the process was going on as per schedule.

He said that the previous two elections were held in a peaceful and transparent manner and that the May 31 elections, too, would be peaceful.

He hoped that the turn-out of voters would be larger and pointed out that a large number of people had filed nomination papers and the ratio had been very good.

When asked whether he was satisfied with the development process going on in the province, the governor said that the same was being done within the available resources.

He said that various areas were neglected in the past because of resource constraints but now the situation had improved somewhat. He looked forward to co-ordination with those elected.

The governor said that the development process would be further accelerated, provided resources were made available.-APP

SC dismisses appeal in Saleem Qadri murder case
06-04-2006

KARACHI: A bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan comprising Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Karamat Nazeer Bhandari on Wednesday dismissed a state appeal assailing acquittal of an accused in murder case of Sunni Tehrik leader Muhammad Saleem Qadri.

The state went into an appeal against the judgment of an Anti-Terrorism Appellate (ATA) bench of SHC comprising Justice Rahmat Hussain Jafry and Justice Ali Sain Dino Metlo, which acquitted Muhammad Faisal alias Pehalwan, an alleged activist of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

According to the prosecution, unidentified gunmen ambushed car of ST leader on May 18, 2001.

Saleem Qadri chief of ST, Altaf Junejo, Anees Qadri and driver Abid Baloch died while Hafeez Raza, gunman, Ahmed Raza, Owais Raza and Bilal Raza sustained injuries in the incident.

The accused was tried and sentenced by the ATC against which he preferred an appeal.

The apex court bench after hearing the counsel for appellant and respondent upheld the judgment by SHC dismissing the state�s appeal.



Refering Site

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1