PIA flight carrying Saulat Mirza’s body lands in Karachi
A PIA flight carrying the mortal remains of former MQM worker Saulat Mirza, has landed at Karachi airport.
He was hanged to death in Machh Jail in triple murder case of KESC MD Shahid Hamid, his driver and gunman in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The execution was carried out at 4:30 PM. The body was later handed over to the family members. The body was then shifted to Quetta in an Edhi ambulance. The body was brought to Edhi Morgue, Quetta from where it was taken to Quetta airport.
Mirza’s dead body was carried to Karachi in PIA flight PK-363. His funeral prayers are set to be held after Maghrib prayers.
A brother of Saulat Mirza has said that he will be buried at Muhammad Shah graveyard of North Karachi.
Saulat Mirza was executed at Balochistan’s Machh Jail after dramatic postponement of his execution on March 19, after local television channels aired his video message in which he had levelled serious allegations against the top MQM leadership.
Joining MQM
Saulat Ali Khan While studying at Shipowner’s College of Karachi in late 80s, became an active member of the All-Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) ─ the students’ wing of the then Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Mirza was accused of a number of high profile murders in 90s by police and the intelligence agencies.
KESC managing director Shahid Hamid, his driver, and a guard were gunned down in Defence Housing Authority of Karachi on July 5, 1997.
In December 1998, police arrested Mirza at Karachi airport on his arrival from Bangkok.
Karachi’s Anti-terrorism court-V awarded death sentence to Saulat Mirza on May 24, 1999 in triple murder case of KESC MD Shahid Hamid, his driver and gunman.
Sindh High Court on January 21, 2000, rejected Saulat’s appeal against his conviction while the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed his appeal on September 16, 2001, upholding his sentence. His review petition was also dismissed by the apex court on March 9, 2004.
Pakistan lifted a moratorium on death sentence in the country in December 2014, after a terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar.
Black Warrant
The trial court issued the first black warrant against condemned prisoner Saulat Mirza on March 11 and asked the jail authorities to send him to the gallows on March 19.
The president deferred the execution a few hours before the convict was to be hanged after television channels aired a video message of Mirza in which he levelled serious allegations against the top MQM leadership. Later, a joint investigation team was also constituted to question the death row prisoner.
Another black warrant was issued on March 24 for April 1st after the jail officials informed the trial court on March 22 that the three-day stay had ended and they had not received any further stay order. Finally death warrants were issued by the court for May 12 for the third time.
His final hours
Saulat Mirza was stated to be calm and composed at gallows. According to jail officials, Mirza recited Holy Quran all night and also sought pardon from his prison mates and the jail staff. He was reciting Kalima while he was taken to the gallows from death cell where he spent last night of his life, prison officials said.
His voice was heard by other inmates who were awaked waiting for execution of Saulat Mirza, prison officials said. Just before execution at 04:30am prison doctor Sajjad Haider examined Mirza and declared him fit after which he was sent to gallows in the presence of the jail superintendent, the doctor and Duty Magistrate Hidayatullah.
The execution was carried out at the scheduled time. The body was later handed over to three nephews of Saulat Mirza. The body was then shifted to Quetta in an Edhi ambulance. A police vehicle escorted the ambulance from Mach prison to Quetta due to security concerns. The body was brought to Edhi Morgue, Quetta from where it was taken to Quetta airport for further movement to Karachi.
Funeral
Mirza’s dead body will reach Karachi around 4:30 PM and his funeral prayers are set to be held after Maghrib prayers in Gulshan-e-Maymar area of Karachi.
He will be buried in Muhammad Shah graveyard of North Karachi.
Mirza’s brother at 11th Hour
Saulat Mirza’s brother Farhat Mirza while expressing his views at ARY News show ’11th Hour’ said that whatever Saulat Mirza said in the video confession was truth and there was not an iota of lie in the statement.
Answering a question by the host Waseem Badami, Farhat opined that MQM is responsible for Mirza’s current state of helplessness. One day MQM leaders will have to appear before God where they could not lie.
Video statement was truthful to the core… by arynews
STARTLING REVELATIONS
Saulat Mirza in the video statement released on March 19 claimed that he killed K.E.S.C MD Shahid Hamid on direct orders from Altaf Hussain as he and three others were called on Babar Ghouri’s house where on a phone, MQM chief Altaf Hussain gave orders to kill Shahid Hamid.
MQM protects target killers, criminals through Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan, Mirza alleged in the video.
Azeem Tariq was killed on the orders of party chief Altaf Hussain, he said.
Former Karachi Mayor Mustafa Kamal was humiliated before being thrown out of the party.
Saulat Mirza name names before execution by arynews
Mirza and his wife (in her several television interviews) claimed that he was a MQM worker and did the ‘dirty work’ on the orders of some of the prominent leaders of the party.
Saulat Mirza executed in Machh Jail by arynews
