Social media activist, blogger stabbed to death

ISLAMABAD: A blogger and social media activist was stabbed to death in G-9/4 Sunday night, while his cousin was critically injured.

Muhammad Bilal Khan, aged around 24 to 25 years, was stabbed to death, while his cousin Ehteshamul Haq was left injured with stab wounds in an incident that occurred at around 9.30pm.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered with the Karachi Company Police Station, Ubaidullah Khan, the father of the deceased, stated that he was at his cousin Abdul Khaliq’s house in Kot Nathial, Bhara Kahu when he received a call on his cell phone from Ehteshamul Haq, son of Qari Gulzar, that some unknown persons had attacked him and Muhammad Bilal Khan leaving them injured.

“On receiving the information, we reached the Emergency Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) where I saw my son Muhammad Bilal Khan lying dead. His body carried multiple wounds inflicted with some sharp-edged object.

“This incident has caused disturbance in the area and people are harassed and afraid. I demand that the terrorists who killed my son without reason and seriously injured my cousin Ehteshamul Haq be immediately arrested and brought to justice,” the FIR said.

According to the medical report after the postmortem, Bilal’s body carried around 17 wounds on different parts of body inflicted with some sharp-edged object. The wounds were inflicted on the right and left arm, on chest and back and both sides of hips.

This reporter interviewed Ehteshamul Haq at the PIMS in presence of doctor. He said Muhammad Bilal received a call from somebody who asked him to come over to G-9/4. Ehtesham did not disclose if Bilal Khan had told him about the caller and why he was being called at that time of night.

“I told Muhammad Bilal Khan that I will accompany him; we both went to G-9/4 on our motorbike. When we reached the spot where we were asked to come, we stopped. We were waiting when a person approached us and asked as to who was Bilal.

“On confirmation by Bilal, he asked him to come with him and took him to some distance. While I was sitting on the bike, someone hit me from behind. As I fell down, some people started stabbing me. After some time, they left, leaving us badly injured. I was lying on the ground when Muhammad Bilal, who was still alive, came over to me and told me that he was injured and we should urgently go to the hospital.

“As I was unable to drive bike, I rushed to a nearby mosque and raised hue and cry for help. Then some people came over and shifted us to the PIMS. However, Muhammad Bilal Khan died on way to hospital,” Ehteshamul Haq told this reporter.

Some people around Ehtesham’s bed intervened in the presence of doctor and asked him not to disclose more details.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Jamaat-e-Ahle Sunnah wal Jamaat in a message on the social media announced that social media activist Muhammad Bilal Khan had been martyred by some unknown terrorist in Islamabad. His body is at the Complex Hospital. Bilal Khan’s body carried bullet and stab wounds. Somebody called him to a place in the Karachi Company to carry out this crime.”

Superintendent of Police Saddar Circle Malik Naeem said Bilal Khan was killed and his friend Ehtesham was injured in an attack. He said somebody called Bilal on his phone and asked him to come over to G-9. “On reaching G-9, one man took him to the jungle. The killers stabbed him to death, SP Malik Naeem said. The police have registered case and are investigating.