Police register Sabeen Mahmud’s murder case

KARACHI: The Defence police station on Saturday registered an FIR against two unidentified persons for killing Director T2F and social activist Sabeen Mahmud under terrorism and murder charges.
“We have registered a case on the complaint of Mehnaz Begum, the injured mother of Sabeen Mahmud, while a high-level investigation team led-by DIG South Jamil Ahmed has been formed to investigate the
crime. So far we are clueless about the possible motive and perpetuators of the crime,” Additional IGP Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo told The News.
On the other hand, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa in his tweets said the intelligence agencies have been tasked to render all possible assistance to the investigating agencies in arresting the perpetuators of the crime and bringing them to justice.
“We condemn the tragic and unfortunate killing of Sabeen Mahmud. Our heart goes out to bereaved family at this sad moment,” said the DG ISPR in his tweet.
Ghulam Qadir Thebo said the police were still clueless about the murder and motive behind the assassination of Sabeen Mahmud but the murder was being investigated professionally, taking into consideration all angles.
“A team of highly professional investigators led-by DIG South Jamil Ahmed, SSP South, SSP Investigation, SDPO and SHO of the Defence police station are members of the team and they are investigating the murder from different angles”, Thebo said.
He said the police investigators were trying to ascertain if the assassination of the social activist was the job of extremists, foreign elements or was carried out on the basis of some personal issue. He added that without investigation he could not point a finger to any person or group.
Earlier, the Defence police station registered an FIR no. 214/15 under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 302, 324/34 against two unidentified gunmen who were riding a motorbike and targeted Sabeen and her mother near the Defence Library traffic signal in DHA Phase-II when she was returning home in her car with her mother and driver.
Complainant Mehnaz Begum said the attackers, who were young men, were clean-shaven and were clad in shirts and trousers, opened fire on their car, seriously injuring Sabeen while she (her mother) also received bullets in her arm and back.
The police also questioned the driver Ghulam Abbas who told investigators that he was sitting in the back seat of the car when the firing started. He said when he heard the firing, he ducked and told the police that he had not seen the attackers and could not identify them.
An official of the South Zone Police told The News that they had started interviewing eyewitnesses while, with the help of Sabeen’s mother and other eyewitnesses, sketches of the attackers were being prepared.
The official, who requested anonymity, said technical experts of the police were also helping out the investigators and all available resources, including CCTV camera footage and mobile phone data, was being collected to identify and arrest the culprits.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the Sindh government would hold a judicial-level inquiry into the incident.
Qaim Ali Shah paid tributes to the slain social activist, saying that Sabeen Mahmud was a very energetic and committed worker for the cause of upholding human rights in the country.