Police suspect RAW behind killing of Karachi cleric

KARACHI: Karachi police chief Additional Inspector General Khadim Hussain Rind on Wednesday suspected the involvement of India’s spy agency RAW in the killing of caretaker of a mosque in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Johar area late Tuesday, ARY News reported.

Ziaur Rehman, 45, the Mohtamim of Jamia Masjid Abu Bakar, was gunned down in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Tuesday night.

The cleric Ziaur Rehman was walking inside a park near his residence close to the FBR Office in Johar’s Block-14 when two men riding on a motorcycle shot and injured him before fleeing. The victim was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The police said deceased Sheikh Zia ur Rahman was the mahatmam (administrator) of Jamia Abu Bakr Madrassah (seminary) – which is located in Gulshan’s Block 5.

In a statement today, Karachi police chief Khadim Hussain Rind said the incident was an act of terrorism and it aimed to disrupt the law and order in the city ahead of Rabiul Awwal.

He directed the DIG East to conduct an inquiry and submit a report. He also ordered the immediate arrest of the culprits.

Rind further said that the CTD had collected important pieces of evidence from the scene, and the initial investigation showed that the secret agency of a neibhouring country, RAW, could be involved in the incident.

He said that investigators had collected seven empties of a 9mm pistol and three empties of a 30-bore pistol.