Few years after father’s murder, Ahmedi lawyer shot in Nawabshah

KARACHI: 

Tragedy struck an Ahmedi family in Nawabshah once again when the son was shot at by an unidentified man only a few years after his father was killed.

The victim A*, who is a lawyer, was at his brother’s shop – taking a break from his morning work at the district courts – when a man walked up to him, opened fire and disappeared into the crowd. The incident took place at Liaquat Market Road on April 2, according to the victim’s cousin, K.

“I heard a gunshot and when I reached on the spot a few people were trying to take him to the hospital in a rickshaw,” the cousin recalled. “He might have been targeted because of his religious beliefs as he had no personal enmity.” Initially, A was rushed to Civil Hospital, Nawabshah, but was later moved to Karachi.

“The bullet pierced his liver and the doctors have removed the affected part in a surgery,” said MA Khan, a spokesperson for Ahmediya community, “The bleeding hasn’t stopped until now.” The doctors feel, however, that he is recovering.

K remembered the suspect was in his 30s with a beard and a scarf on his shoulder. He noticed the same man watching the shop and their house, located near the shop, closely a few days before the shooting took place.

“Since A survived, we know the attackers are just waiting for an opportunity to kill him,” feared K. “We’ll have to move him to an undisclosed location.”

The community’s spokesperson said that more and more people are leaving the area because of such incidents. “The administration does not take our problems seriously.”

Khan told The Express Tribune said that the police have yet to any take action besides demanding the victim’s statement. They haven’t arrested anyone or even seized the bullet casing from the crime scene, he added. “Why haven’t we been provided protection before when similar incidents have taken place,” he said, adding that at least seven Ahmedis have been killed in over a decade in Nawabshah alone.

The community members have little faith in the government. “This is the constituency of the president of Pakistan and we have been living in a constant state of fear,” said Khan. “We have yet to see the day when justice is served to our community but until then, at least give us our right to pray.” The Nawabshah Bar Association observed a strike to condemn the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2013.