Two years on, family of slain Dr Shakil Auj awaits justice

Karachi

As the family of slain Professor Dr Shakil Auj observes his second death anniversary today, the Sind government has yet to fulfil its promise to serve justice. 

The government has not even provided the compensation money to the family of the educationist, who was widely accepted as a moderate scholar, let alone identifying his murderers. 

Dr Auj, the then dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Karachi, was gunned down on University Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, on September 18, 2014.

During the initial phase of the investigation, police insisted that the professor was murdered by members of a Karachi-based political party to create chaos in the city.

Police officials also made some arrests a few months after the murder; however, the relevant quarters were sceptical of the investigation as police had also nominated students and teachers in the case. When police officials failed to submit any evidence against those students and teachers, they had to, eventually, rule out any chances of their involvement.

The family members of the slain scholar have been claiming that the crime was committed by a banned religious outfit, not by any political party. In November 2015, police sowed arrests of some members of Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which had accepted the responsibility of killing Professor Auj in a video message released in 2014. The police department was largely criticised for having arrested members of a banned militant group and a political party on the same charges, yet failing to ascertain who was actually involved in the murder.

Similarly, the Sindh government had promised that the criminals would get due punishment and also announced cash compensation for the bereaved family, which, unfortunately, has never been handed over to them.

Dr Muhammad Hassan Auj, the son of the late professor, while talking to The News, expressed his anguish and disappointment over the role of the provincial government and the law enforcement agencies. He claimed that his father was the only D Litt, a higher doctorate degree, scholar of the subcontinent when he was assassinated.

“This is unfortunate that no genuine progress has ever been made in the case. It seems that the Sindh government and the LEAs have forgotten about the matter. Another professor of the varsity also lost his life as he was very vocal about taking up the matter at every forum. But, unfortunately, his murder was also ignored.”

On April 29, 2015 Dr Syed Waheed-ur-Rehman, KU assistant professor at the Mass Communication Department, was shot dead near the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases in Block 16 of FB Area. “He was very active in the Dr Auj case and paid the price for his courage and tireless efforts.”

Dr Hassan Auj said AQIS had accepted his father’s killing in a video message as well as in their letters. “My father had been facing threats verbally as well as through fake fatwas. Propaganda was launched against him through mobile messages, labelling him infidel and liable to be killed.”

He further stated that there were media reports regarding the arrest of a son of a well-known political personality of Karachi, who was allegedly a member of Al-Qaeda.

“He had admitted to my father’s as well as Professor Dr Waheed ur Rehman’s killing. Why have the police failed to present a charge sheet against him as yet?

“Was the Counter-Terrorism Department consulted when the alleged AQIS video and letters were released? Were they made part of the investigation?”

He further asked that if the political party had been involved in killing his father, what actions were taken to prove its involvement in the court of law.

“I am afraid that my father’s assassination case is being diverted towards a particular direction hurriedly without taking these important facts into account. I am unable to comprehend the reluctance towards investigation in the direction my father had been pointing on before assassination.”

He termed the murder a case of religious persecution, saying that his father was killed for his moderate views. “I request the authorities to form a JIT. I don’t trust the current investigation team.

"Sadly, there were also rumours that our family was silent over the murder because we had received a huge amount of money. That is absolutely baseless and wrong.”

He also said the Sindh government had failed to fulfil its promises. “I have written applications to all the relevant authorities for providing security after an arson attack at our place on March 17, 2016. Earlier on May 27, 2015, our car was attacked, but there was no positive response from LEAs. I am ashamed of being a part of the society where there is no respect for moderate religious scholars and intellectuals like Dr Auj.”