Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Planning and Development and a seasoned politician of the Pakistan People’s Party Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and his wife Fariha Razzaq were found shot dead inside their home in Karachi under mysterious circumstances on Thursday.

According to initial reports, District South police claimed that the bodies of PPP lawmaker and his wife were found from the bedroom of their home, with the door of the bedroom locked. However, the officials of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) were of the view that the bodies were found from the study room. Both the victims suffered head injuries whereas a pistol was found lying near the body of Bijarani, which belonged to him.

Police has sent two empty bullet shells and the 30-bore pistol for forensic test. Police along with experts from the forensic department have also collected finger prints from the crime scene.

In the initial investigation, police found one bullet wound on the head of Bijarani while his wife had a bullet injury on her forehead. While four bullets were apparently misfired, one was found stuck in the chamber of the pistol.

Earlier in the day, police rushed to the bungalow of the PPP minister when a caller informed Rescue 15 that two bodies were present inside Bijarani’s house. Initially, the bodies were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for post-mortem examination and later shifted to a local hospital.

Police has taken all servants and security guards posted at the Bijarani’s house in custody for interrogation.

The guards posted outside the house informed the investigators that they had not seen anyone entering the premises.

A senior investigation official told Daily Times that police were also investigating whether Bijarani had killed his wife and later himself committed suicide or it was a murder case. Another official smelled rat, wondering if anybody shoots himself right in the head, he can never press the trigger for another fire then how one bullet remained stuck in the pistol.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also directed Sindh Police Inspector General AD Khawaja to investigate the case thoroughly whereas the IG Sindh has ordered DIG South Azad Khan to head the investigations.

Police officials will brief the media on the matter today (Friday). The family and close friends of the deceased were of the view that he was a very educated and brave person and can never commit suicide. Bijarani’s wife was a journalist who was later elected as an MPA on PPP’s ticket in 2002.

Published in Daily Times, February 2^nd 2018.