The Mystery of Zara Shahid`s Murder!

Once again, the PTI`s Zara Shahid murder case is in the Pakistani news. This time it caught attention of the people due to the news that an eye witness had identified two suspects over involvement in the attack on her. The Vice-President of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf’s Sindh chapter, Zahra Shahid Hussain, was killed late on Saturday apparently in an attempted robbery incident on the eve of re-polls in Karachi’s NA-250 constituency. Her murder developed more heat between PTI and MQM. As a result, PTI`s chairman Imran Khan directly accused MQM`s chief Altaf Hussain of being behind the incident while MQM strongly condemned his remarks and termed it as his hasty action.

The question is, was MQM really behind Zara Shahid`s Murder?

PTI head Imran Khan held Altaf Hussain responsible for Zara Shahid`s murder on the basis of his so-called “hate speech” saying "I hold Altaf Hussain directly responsible for the murder as he had openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts.” 

However the ground of this charge on MQM`s head got diluted when the Scotland Yard, after its investigation, concluded that Altaf Hussain`s speech did not fall in the category of “hateful” as nothing was found illegal or inciting violence. After such a clean chit, it seems to be rather invalid to consider Zara Shahid`s murder in the context of Altaf Hussain`s speech anymore. Logically, when even the “cause” has not remained “inciting” anymore, then how can it result in a violent act anyway? Similarly, it was also propagated that MQM got her killed in order to frighten people so that they could not come out to vote for PTI. However, the results of by-elections held in the presence of even army showed that the PTI`s votes reduced in contrast to the expectation of increase which negates the propaganda against MQM.

For a while, let`s assume that MQM was really behind the murder, then, the question arises what benefit could it have considered by doing so especially in the crucial time when a tough political competition had to take place in that constituency?

Apparently, the prime objective behind such an act could possibly be to ensure re-election in the entire constituency that MQM was already demanding and, which was also the reason why it boycotted the re-run in few polling stations only. Thus, MQM`s allegedly planned murder could not only help MQM meet its demand of re-election in whole of NA-250, but would also let it gain some more time for its political campaign there. It should also be kept in mind that Election Commission of Pakistan postpones or orders for re-elections in a constituency generally after death or murder of a contesting candidate. Considering the prevailing practice in the country, could Zara Sahid`s killing (who was politically less prominent and whose murder could not benefit MQM at all, but be en-cashed by its rival PTI) help MQM to achieve its objectives? Logically, no!

In our country, near or during an election campaign, political parties or candidates do their possible to cash in on every possible incident that can help them get the vote of sympathy from people in elections. Taking into account this maxim, it was definitely PTI and/or Dr. Arif Alvi who availed the benefit of Zara Shahid`s murder over MQM in N-250 election. Further, in most of the cases, the beneficiary of crime is found behind it. However, if we give PTI the benefit of doubt, then who else could be behind the murder which obviously aimed at politically benefitting PTI against MQM in the election of NA-250?

In this respect, the important aspect of the murder investigation is that no sketch of the suspected killers of Zara Shahid was drawn and issued to the public which could help the investigating team recognize and arrest them. Furthermore, when Zara Shahid was killed, as per the media reports, she was near her house situated in DHA and her driver and daughter were near her too. So, it was quite easy for the police to draw sketches of killers with the help of the eyewitness. But, no effort was made in this direction despite the fact that the murder had been badly politicized. This raised a serious question over the credibility of the on-going investigation.

When MQM`s MNA Tahira Asif was killed in June 2014 apparently in a similar incident in Lahore, the Punjab police drew and released the sketches of the suspected killers with the help of the true eye witnesses who were her driver and daughter present in the car at the time crime took place. That was quite logical to do so. Such a practice not only helps Police to identify criminals, but also saves them from the charge of “making an elephant confess to be a deer”. Then, why did we not see similar development in Zara Shahid`s murder case? Should this act not be construed as a deliberate act of leaving a frame in which anyone`s photo could be fitted?

There emerges one more question on the credibility of the person who was produced as an eyewitness by the police who so easily identified the arrested suspects. The point to be noticed here is that when Zara Shahid was murdered, she was with her driver and daughter, then why was an outsider called as the eyewitness instead of her own close ones? Don`t these acts make the story doubtful?

Apparently, the murder of Zara Shahid looks to be a conspiracy of the traditionally anti-MQM`s “forces” which had always tried to wipe it out from its political base either in the name “restoring peace in Karachi” or by way of logistically backing its political as well as ethnic rivals against it. Here, we cannot ignore the annoyance of the MQM`s political rivals as well as the media-persons with PTI`s chairman for not targeting MQM and Altaf Hussain in his Karachi jalsa (rally) speech. They taunted Imran Khan for not repeating his allegation of Zara Shahid`s murder on Altaf Hussain. That clearly showed that there were many people who wanted PTI to be against MQM once again.

Although Zara Shahid`s murder took place in May 2013, yet the police looked to be in complete darkness for about one and half year ago. However, suddenly, they claimed to have arrested the suspects, and interestingly, it was the same time when PTI was holding its rally in Karachi. And now, we have just received news that an “eye witness” has recognized the suspects belonging to MQM. In fact, by connecting dots to each other, there emerges a whole background behind the “arrest” and “recognizing by eye witness”.

Taking into account all these facts, Zarah Shahid`s murder does not look to be anyhow different from all those cases in which MQM was accused, its people were arrested, outsider “witnesses” easily recognized them and, on the basis of which, courts also awarded punishment to the accused. But, finally, the higher courts declared the convicted people innocent and ordered to release them. Major Kaleem kidnap case, Salah Uddin and Hakeem Saeed`s murders are few examples of the same.

Therefore, it can be said that the mystery of Zara Shahid`s murder is expected to eventually be resolved in the days to come which will not only clear MQM from the charge like in the past, but would also once again expose the “conspirators” before the world.