Karachi
Two ‘Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) men’ accused of killing Inspector Taufiq Zahid were remanded to officials of the Gulberg police station on physical remand till July 22, by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).
Zeeshan and Rehan were employees of the University of Karachi and were reportedly affiliated with the MQM. They were produced before the administrative judge of the ATC where the IO informed him of the suspects’ involvement in the inspector’s murder, committed on April 23, 2004.
Zahid, along with Inspector Zeeshan Kazmi, was regarded a key figure in the ‘operation clean-up’ launched by Gen (retd) Naseerullah Babar, during his tenure as interior minister.
Zahid was murdered six months after Inspector Kazmi was found shot dead in the Ferozabad vicinity, on October 14, 2003.
Inspector Zahid was gunned down inside a mosque in Mohammadi Masjid, located in Godhra Society Federal B Area, Block 17, where he had gone to offer Friday prayers.
Four worshippers had also suffered minor injuries; they were identified as Yaqoob, Javed Farooq and brothers Ismail and Abdul Sattar.
Police and eyewitnesses claimed Zahid was listening to the sermon when a man opened fire at him and fled. The man was said to have entered the mosque carrying a basket of flower in his hand, gone over to where the inspector was seated and shot at him with a pistol he took out of the basket.
The hospital sources said he suffered three bullet wounds, in the head, neck and chest and died instantly.
Police believed the murder plan was chalked out by two or more people, and that the murderer’s accomplices were outside the mosque during the incident.
His body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and later to Edhi morgue.
Usually seen with two of his police guards, the inspector was unaccompanied on the unfortunate day. He had walked to the mosque which was located at a distance of only a few minutes from his house.
