Daily Times

The cold-blooded murder of former Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Ali Raza Abidi in Karachi is yet another reminder that the longstanding issue of targeted killing in the metropolis is far from over. With the killing of one of the most active politicians of the city, government and law enforcement agencies’ claims of having restored peace in Karachi have fallen flat. It is therefore time to ask some tough questions.

The murder is being portrayed differently by different sections and several conspiracy theories have already been written. Pro-government lobby is hell-bent on proving that MQM is behind the killing because Abidi had quit the party. If analysed realistically, this theory holds little substance because MQM has been on the receiving end of the Karachi operation.  The party’s founding leader Altaf Hussain has successfully been excluded from the politics by the establishment and his role in politics is almost non-existent. Several workers of MQM have allegedly been a victim of state oppression and extrajudicial killing. In these tough times, it is not possible for the party to carry out such an act considering that they are being targeted by the state left, right and centre. Accusations of anti-state activities have also been leveled against the party. MQM (whatever is left of it) is currently too busy fighting the war of its survival by proving loyalty to the country. MQM’s violent past is a reality, but the party no longer possesses the capacity to kill people and get away with it. Thus, the politicians blaming Altaf Hussain for the murder are deliberately trying to create confusion by misleading the public. Besides, regardless of who ordered the killing, it is the state’s job to ensure protection and security to each citizen and the incident has exposed the lies of the government that terrorists have been defeated. That the terrorists were able to kill a former lawmaker is an utter failure on the part of the government and law enforcers.

The question that who killed Abidi can be answered simply by going through his statements and activities from the past few months. Prior to the general elections, Abidi was an active part of the civil society-led campaign against participation of banned sectarian outfits in the polls. In a video clip that he had released at the time, Abidi was seen condemning the state’s failure to restrict the electoral involvement of SSP/ASWJ. He had said that their involvement in the election is violation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and that the state should ensure that such elements do not reach the assembly. In this video message, the slain politician had clearly named and called out anti-Shia terrorist organisation Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and its political wing Ahl-e-SunnatWal Jamaat (ASWJ) which contested the elections under a newly-formed group called Pakistan Rah-e-Haq party. Abidi had commented that the state was not acting against the banned terror groups which have continued their political activities under new names in violation of the NAP. He had always been vocal against banned sectarian outfits in the National Assembly as well. This is why these banned terror outfits frequently posted hateful content on their social media pages (which are still up and running despite hate speech), targeting Ali Raza Abidi for his Shia faith.

The terror groups such as SSP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are free to hold public rallies and engage in hate speech against the Shia community without facing consequences. On several occasions, these terror groups have incited violence against Shia politicians including Ali Raza Abidi. Therefore, the involvement of SSP and ASWJ in his murder merits a serious investigation.

Prior to the general elections, Abidi was an active part of the civil society-led campaign against participation of banned sectarian outfits in the polls. In a video clip that he had released, Abidi was seen condemning the state’s failure to restrict the electoral involvement of SSP/ASWJ

Another factor that is important to assess here is that Abidi had extended support to Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) on the floor of the assembly. Moreover, some of his last tweets were critical of the establishment.  The deep state’s nexus with sectarian extremists is well-known. However, we were told that this policy of harbouring sectarianism has now been put to an end. But ground realities show otherwise. On Friday, ASWJ chief Ahmed Ludhianvi who has publicly called for murder of Shias on several occasions was invited by the Pakistan Army to visit North Waziristan. Ludhianvi and terror organisation Harkatul Mujahideen leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil, who is a global designated terrorist, paid a visit to North Waziristan. They were accompanied by military officials. This development sends out a dangerous message. It is hoped that military officials will respond to the concerns raised. Rangers’ officials in Karachi have also been seen with members of banned outfits and extremist clerics several times. If the policy of protecting and patronising such elements does not stop, more innocent lives will be lost to terror. The state needs to combat sectarianism sooner than later. Otherwise our politicians, professionals and ordinary citizens will continue to be targeted by the menace.

The writer is Assistant Editor, Daily Times. She writes on counter-terrorism, human rights and freedom of speech among other issues. She tweets at @AiliaZehra and can be reached at ailiazehra2012@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, January 1^st 2019