Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In a brazen attack,a top Pakistani prosecutor handling the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case and the Benazir Bhutto assassination case was shot dead near his home here Friday,leaving both high-profile cases in limbo.
In an execution-style drive-by shooting,two motorcycle-borne gunmen fired at the car of Federal Investigation Agency prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfizar Ali.
The attack occurred shortly after Ali left his house in Sector G-9 to go to Rawalpindi for a hearing of the Bhutto assassination case,in which ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf is a proclaimed offender,in an anti-terrorism court.
Ali,who was driving,was hit by several bullets and lost control of the car near the busy commercial area of Karachi Company at 7.30 am. The vehicle hit a woman crossing the road and she too died later in hospital.
Alis bodyguard,paramilitary trooper Farman Ali,was injured in the attack.
Witnesses said the car was hit by almost 30 bullets.
Ali and his bodyguard were taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
Doctors said Ali died before reaching the hospital. They said Ali was hit by about nine bullets,including one that struck the brain,while the bodyguard was hit by only one bullet.
The gunmen escaped after the brazen shooting.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Alis son Chaudhry Nisar and some of his colleagues told the media that the prosecutor had been receiving threats for some time.
Some colleagues said Ali had received threats from a banned extremist group. They said he had continued pursing high-profile terrorism cases despite the threats.
Footage on television showed that several bullets had pierced the windscreen and left side of Alis car. There was blood on the cars seats and on the road.
Police cordoned off the spot and gathered evidence. Alis diary and several files related to the Bhutto assassination case were found in the car.
The prosecutor was gunned down at a time when there have been important developments in both the Mumbai attacks case and Bhutto assassination case.
On April 13,a witness from Karachi identified Shahid Jamil Riaz,one of the accused in the Mumbai attacks case,as the person who had bought inflatable boats used by the terrorists who assaulted Indias financial hub in November 2008.
Several Lashkar-e-Taiba activists,including operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi,are among the seven suspects being tried for their role in planning and financing the attacks.
The Jamaat-ud-Dawah,declared a front for the LeT by the UN Security Council,has a large centre located a short distance from the spot where Zulfikar Ali was attacked.
The Federal Investigation Agency recently began interrogating Musharraf over the assassination of Bhutto and was formally arrested in the case.
Following Zulfikar Alis killing,the hearing of the Bhutto assassination case was adjourned till May 14.
Lawyers observed a strike in courts in Rawalpindi.
President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the murder and directed authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to expose those involved in the killing of Ali.
Pakistan Election 2013
Bilawal leaves country,to return after polls
Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has left on a foreign trip and will not be present when the country goes to polls on May 11,according to a media report Friday. Bilawal,24,will not address any rallies or meetings ahead of the general election due to threats to his life,sources said.
ANP candidate,son shot dead by Taliban in Karachi
Islamabad: An Awami National Party leader contesting the general elections and his six-year-old son were gunned down by the Taliban outside a mosque in Karachi Friday,police and witnesses said.Sadiq Zaman Khattak,a candidate to a seat in Karachi,and his son were attacked as they were leaving a mosque in Bilal Colony after Friday prayers.
Musharrafs party to boycott elections next week
Islamabad: The party of former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf,facing a barrage of legal cases over his time in power,Friday announced it will boycott next weeks historic election. A spokeswoman for All Party Muslim League Friday said the decision was taken after a court on Tuesday banned the former ruler from contesting elections for the rest of his life. PTI
