Sindh’s Inspector General (IG) of Police AD Khwaja said on Sunday that the attempt on Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Khwaja Izharul Hassan’s life was “part of a conspiracy to mar Karachi’s peace”.
The IG also said that police had identified one deceased suspect involved in the attack.
Khwaja Izhar, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, escaped an assassination attempt on Saturday when he was returning from Eid prayers. One of the assailants was killed in retaliatory fire, along with one of Izhar’s guards and a teenager. Four other people were injured.
Police also said they had seized a 9mm pistol and a motorcycle used by the killed attacker from the scene of the crime.
While Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah demanded a detailed report from the Sindh IG, MQM Pakistan Farooq Sattar later said in a press conference that the provincial government couldn’t be absolved of responsibility. “What if the leader of the opposition had been killed? What would have the city’s situation been like?” he said. “Already, people are frustrated with the way Karachi was completely neglected in the aftermath of the [recent] rains.”
