Sunni Ittehad Council leader dies in prison

Police say Tariq Mehboob fell ill in the morning and died; Rangers deny MQM, his brothers’ claim that he died in their custody

By our correspondents
April 19, 2015
Karachi
The Anjuman Naujawanan-e-Islam chief and a Sunni Ittehad Council member died in his cell at the Karachi central prison on Saturday morning.
Police said Tariq Mehboob, 54, suddenly fell ill and doctors tried to save his life but he died of a cardiac arrest.
New Town sub-divisional police officer Nasir Lodhi said a magistrate was called to the prison and an inquiry under Section 176 of the Criminal Procedure Code conducted in his presence. Later, the body was sent to the Jinnah hospital for a postmortem. The medico-legal officer who conducted the postmortem will submit his report on the cause of death after completing other formalities.
The police official said Mehboob was brought in at the central prison a few days ago in connection with an FIR registered with the Yousuf Plaza police station and was facing a trial.
A Rangers spokesperson said Mehboob and his accomplices were arrested by the paramilitary force because of his involvement in criminal activities. He was remanded by an anti-terrorism court in Rangers custody on April 16 and handed over to the prison authorities on the same day. However, the spokesperson clarified that Mehboob did not die in Rangers custody.

MQM chief condoles
Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain spoke with Mehboob’s brothers, Ishrat and Nusrat, on the phone and offered his condolences to the grieving family. Mehboob’s brothers told him that he was arrested merely on suspicion and subjected to torture that caused his death in custody.
Ishrat told the MQM chief that he had nothing to do with politics but he too was detained and subjected to torture along with his brother and questions were asked about their Mohajir identity. Hussain condemned Mehboob’s “killing” in “Rangers’ custody” and demanded that the prime minister should take notice of the incident.

Judicial probe demanded
MQM deputy convener Nadeem Nusrat demanded a judicial commission to probe Mehboob’s death. He also called up his brothers to offer his
condlences. Nusrat said the Mehboob’s death was a great loss for the SIC, the activists of the Anjuman Naujawanan-e-Islam as well as for the MQM