KARACHI: The killing of Dr Syed Waheedur Rehman has made the University of Karachi (KU) lose its second professor since September, when the varsity’s Islamic Studies’ dean, Dr Shakil Auj, was also shot dead.

Dr Rehman, popularly known as Yasir Rizvi, was an assistant professor at KU’s mass communication department. He was driving his green Suzuki Cultus when he was shot multiple times close to the boundary wall of the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD) in Federal B Area’s Block-16.

It was around 10:50am when Dr Rehman left his home, located in Latif Square apartments, for the varsity. The shooting took place merely five minutes after he left, said his family members. “He had no enmities with anyone and he never did wrong with anyone,” said his relative, Saeed Ahmed. “Why was he killed?”

According to witnesses, at least four armed men on two motorcycles were involved. “The men had covered their faces with handkerchiefs and helmets when they opened fire at his car,” said a witness. “One of them walked away from his motorcycle and shot him at point-blank range.” Dr Rehman was shot at least five times and died shortly after.

His body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where a large number of his relatives and colleagues also reached. The body was handed over the family for burial later in the afternoon.

Ruling out ‘sectarian’ motives

Initial reports suggested that Dr Rehman may have been targeted as his nickname, Yasir Rizvi — which is a common surname among Shia families — suggested he belonged to the Shia community. The police ruled out, however, this possibility. “This is not a sectarian attack nor is this a case of mistaken identity,” said Yousuf Plaza police SHO Akram Arain.

There is little evidence to suggest the links between the killing of Dr Rehman and Dr Auj, he said. The empty bullet shells have been recovered from the crime scene and they will be matched with existing samples from other high-profile cases, he added.

Two teachers gone

On September 18 last year, Dr Auj was killed in a similar manner on University Road in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The professor was on his way to attend a ceremony organised in his honour at the Iranian Cultural Centre for getting a Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his meritorious services in Islamic studies.

The alQaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) had claimed, through its official Twitter account, the responsibility of killing Dr Auj and Prof Sibte Jafar, the principal of Liaquatabad College who was shot dead in March 2013. In a press conference a month later, the then CID Operations SSP, Fayyaz Khan, had claimed the arrest of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi chief Muhammad Athar alias Khalid and his accomplice, Muhammad Shahid alias Churan, who also confessed to killing Prof Jafar. Meanwhile, police officials investigating the case claimed in January this year that a man belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was arrested for the two killings.

Universities on strike

Following Dr Rehman’s killing, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academics Staff Association (Fapuasa) has announced that all public-sector universities across the province will observe a strike on Thursday (today) to protest the incessant killings of teachers.

After the news of his murder became known on Wednesday morning, the Karachi University administration announced to close the institution for a day. The KU teachers’ society, in a press conference held later in the afternoon, announced that the academic activities will remain suspended on Thursday as well, during which the teachers will hold a condolence reference for their ‘exemplary colleague’.

“The voices of reason are being silenced, one by one,” said Prof Dr Jamil Hassan Kazmi, president of the KU teachers’ society. “When the wounds inflicted by Dr Auj’s murder are still fresh, we are forced to brave the loss of another colleague, whose only weapon was his pen and knowledge.”

The KU teachers in association with Fapuasa will announce their future course of action on Monday.

Express Tribune

The post KU loses second professor in seven months appeared first on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

Rumi, a vocal critic of the Taliban and religious extremists groups, was shot at in Lahore on March 28 in which his driver was killed and a guard was injured.

“I am out for a few months. Will be with my relatives and family abroad,” Rumi told PTI adding that he will be back.

He also tweeted saying, “I am travelling. Visiting family/friends. Need some time off to regain sanity!”

“He had no choice but to leave as the authorities felt no embarrassment in letting him know that they could not guarantee his life if he stepped outside his Lahore home,” Ali Dayan, the outgoing Pakistan director at Human Rights Watch said in an article.

Pakistani law enforcement agencies had last week presented ‘six target killers’ of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) who were allegedly involved in a number of killings of Shia leaders including the attack on Rumi.

Lahore police chief Shafiq Ahmed Gujja said the accused claimed that they had targeted Rumi for his anti-LeT views.

News of his leaving the country came as another senior journalist Hamid Mir was shot at in Karachi. Mir, who is now in hospital and stable, was hit by six bullets.

“Earlier, you know where the bullet will come from. Now, you do not even know that,” a senior woman journalist said.

The media community, however, is divided after Mir’s brother blamed “certain” elements in the ISI and its chief for the attack.

Jang Group, which owns Geo TV where Mir worked, has however issued a statement that it respects the military.

Many here question the way the channel played up the allegation. Surprisingly, some have even questioned the attack itself and claimed that it was a deliberate ploy by the Group to malign Pakistani institutions.

Senior journalist Imtiaz Alam is reported to have quit Express News channel after he was apparently denied to air a programme on Mir.

The Express Group in Islamabad has faced multiple attacks and three of its personnel have also been killed.

Rumi had recently joined the Express Group and was anchoring a talk show.

In the previous attacks Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had claimed the responsibility, saying the Group especially its English publication – Express Tribune – is criticising the banned group.

NDTV

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Chaudhry Shafiq said that the six suspects were involved in assassination attempts on various political and religious persons, adding that they were also involved in terrorism, abduction and cases of extortion.

While talking to the media, Shafiq said that the mastermind of the attack on Rumi, identified as Abdul Rauf Gujar, belongs to the defunct Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

Last month, Rumi came under a gun attack in Lahore, in which his driver, Mustafa, was killed and his guard was injured. This was the fifth attack on Express Media group.

The CCPO claimed that the suspects were also responsible for the murder of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ)’s Punjab chief Maulana Shamsur Rehman Muawiya and attacks on prominent individuals, including renowned playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed.

Express Tribune