Zakaria’s murder linked to Lyari politics?

Karachi

The family of Zakaria Janjua, a 20-year-old man who was killed in an alleged shootout with police in Defence Phase-VII on Friday night, was the grandson of Hafeeza Noor, the recently elected vice chairperson in UC -7, Lyari.

Whether Janjua’s killing had any political purpose behind it, Noor refused to comment on it.

Janjua’s uncle, Sher Mohammad Baloch, told The News that there appeared to be no political motive behind the murder and it was an open case of extrajudicial killing.

“Zakaria was not involved in any criminal activity,” he added.

Baloch said the youngster and his friend were carrying expensive cell phones and plenty of cash and police must have attacked them to steal their belongings.

“Zakaria had two iPhones and a lot of cash,” Janjua’s uncle, Sher Mohammad Baloch, told The News.

“Why would he need to mug somebody? In fact, police must have killed him while trying to snatch his cell phones and cash,” he added.

“Zakaria was a hardworking student. He had studied at the Lyari Degree College and then went to Malaysia for higher studies.

Baloch said Zakaria was the eldest among six siblings – four brothers and one sister.

On the confessional statement of Janjua’s arrested friend aired on TV channels, Baloch said it was pretty clear that police had forced to him to confess to the crime he had not committed. “In the statement, Zakaria’s friend was also forced to say that they were accompanied by two other men named Kashif and Saqib. That too is untrue. If they were there, where are they?”