Two MQM men sentenced to death for murdering PTI leader Zahra Shahid

Concluding the trial of the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf senior leader Zahra Shahid, an anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced the two accused – Rashid and Zahid Abbas Zaidi – to death.

The court found two other accused, Irfan alias Irfan Lamba and Kaleem, innocent due to lack of evidence against them and announced their acquittal.

The ATC-XVII judge was conducting the trial within the Central Prison premises on a daily basis. On Monday, the court had reserved its verdict, after hearing the final arguments from the prosecution and defence.

During earlier hearings, the prosecutor and prosecution team from the Rangers told the court that Shahid’s killers belonged to the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and they had murdered her to create fear among the leadership of the PTI.

According to the prosecutor, the culprits themselves had admitted to the crime and told investigators that they had killed Shahid on the directives of the MQM leadership in order to terrorise the PTI leadership.

The court was further informed that the eye-witnesses had also identified them as the killers. The ATC judge announced the death sentence for two of the accused on Friday after charges were proved against them. Earlier, the four detained men had recorded their statements on August 2 denying their involvement in the murder.

The driver of the deceased PTI leader was among the prosecution witnesses who gave testimonies. The court had earlier heard a magistrate who conducted the identification parade. The magistrate confirmed that at the identification parade, the witnesses had identified the suspected killers.

Zahra Shahid, the vice president of the PTI’s Sindh chapter, was shot dead on May 18, 2013, outside her residence in the Defence Housing Authority’s Phase IV, hours before controversial re-elections in the then National Assembly constituency NA-250.

Rashid, Zahid Abbas Zaidi, Irfan alias Lamba and Kaleem were ultimately arrested and tried in this murder case. In a video recorded after his arrest, Rashid confessed that they had been following Zahra’s car, and as soon as the car reached her residence in DHA Phase IV, Zaidi opened fire at her and killed her. He claimed they only came to know that Shahid was a leader of the PTI after they had killed her. He also named Asif alias Ganja, Zahid, Junaid and Tariq as his accomplices in the murder.

The then government had announced a Rs2.5 million reward for those who would assist the government to arrest the killers or disclose their whereabouts. Shahid’s gruesome murder had sparked unrest in political circles as PTI chief Imran Khan had accused the MQM.

“I hold Altaf Hussain directly responsible for the murder as he had openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts,” he wrote on social media. Khan also held the British government responsible claiming that he had already informed them that Altaf Hussain had been issuing threats to the party leaders and workers, adding that he was “shocked and deeply saddened by the brutal killing”.

However, Hussain and top MQM leaders had condemned Shahid’s murder and denied Khan’s accusations, saying that their supporters would hold protests against what they called the malicious propaganda of Imran Khan and his party.