HYDERABAD:
Traders in Sanghar district observed a lockdown strike on Thursday to protest the failure of the police to make progress in the murder case of Dr Saleem Arain, who was shot dead on Tuesday. Arain’s family, community and local traders lamented that not only are the culprits still at large, but sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) have not been invoked, despite a banned organization claiming responsibility for the murder.
Malik Imtiazul Haq, a local politician associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, told a news conference that the incident was a targeted killing. Arain was shot while leaving his clinic towards his residence near Rehmat Shah Chowk. The district headquarters hospital referred him to Nawabshah People’s Medical College Hospital, from where he was shifted to a private facility in Karachi, where he succumbed to his injuries. He had received two gunshot wounds.
“A terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is regrettable that the police have not included the relevant sections of the ATA in the FIR,” Haq said. He added that the suspected terrorist group had sent a warning to the Punjani settlers in Sanghar by killing Arain.
The business community warned of further protests and shutdown strikes if the killers are not brought to justice. Pakistan People’s Party MNA Shazia Atta Marri also condemned the murder.
