AhlulBayt News Agency - A leading Pakistani Shiite human rights activist, Syed Khurram Zaki, has been murdered by the Saudi-funded Wahhabi radical Islamist movement of ASWJ, in North Karachi area on Saturday late night.
Syed Khurram Zaki, the editor of political website Let Us Build Pakistan (LUBP), was shot dead in North Karachi while sat in a tea shop with two friends.
Four gunmen on two motorcycles are reported to have opened fire on all three people and then fled the scene.
The two friends along with a passer-by, identified as Aslam, were wounded and taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where Khalid died. Zaki was later moved to Aga Khan Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators said the double murder seemed to have occurred in a sectarian attack as both the deceased belonged to the Shia Community; however, they said they would investigate the murders from other aspects too.
Just hours before his death, Zaki's last Facebook post congratulated new London Mayor Sadiq Kahn on his election and hailed London as a beacon for the world.
"I am celebrating the greatness of Western Secular Democracy. In this day and age of terrorism and Islamophobia, London has risen above discrimination and bigotry and emerged as great centre of human civilisation setting a great example for the world."
Police are said to have collected 12 gun casings from the scene and are investigating. In a statement on his death, LUBP's new editor hailed Zaki's "principled and courageous stance" on sectarian attacks and described him as "a bigger journalist and rights activist with more valuable credentials and contributions than those in mainstream media or NGOs.
"His death is the grim reminder that whoever raises voice against Taliban, ASWJ/LeJ and Jamaat-e-Islami Deobandi mafia in Pakistan will not be spared.
"And when they have to murder, they never fail."
LUBP has already initiated the Shaheed Khurram Zaki Trust to help care for the families of activists killed by terrorists regardless, of their sect or faith background.
Zaki's website Lubpak.com is currently blocked in Pakistan by most ISPs. The site also links to @CriticalPPP on Twitter, which appears to be the official account for LUBP.
Members and organisations of the Shia community, including the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, had strongly protested the killings and demanded the arrest of the culprits.
According to social media reports, Syed Khurram Zaki was born on March 26, 1976. He was a research scholar, journalist, blogger, and human rights and civil rights activist.
Zaki joined the BTL (Direct Marketing) Division of Interflow Communications as Brand Activation Manager in 2002, then moved to Airwaves Media, and worked for private TV channels as director/producer in the current affairs and infotainment department.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) condemned the killing, demanding immediate arrest of the murderers.
“Khurram Zaki’s murder is condemnable. Incidents of targeted killing are occurring in spite of on-going operation in the city,” said the MQM’s Coordination Committee in a statement.
Harun Elbinawi, on of the activist of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, strongly condemns the brutal killing of Syed Zaki in his twitter.
"Our heartfelt condolences to Imam Mahdi (afj) for the martyrdom of our brother #KurramZaki & to his bereaved family! #WeAreAllKurramZaki"
"Martyr Kurram Zaki was brutally killed today by a Pakistani Wahhabi terrorists group that has threatened him in the past for his activisties" Elbinawi said, and added "Martyr Kurram Zaki was a civil society activist that was active on all social media platforms. He was marked by murderous Wahhabi groups. Today these Wahhabi terrorist groups will celebrate that they killed our brother Kurram Zaki but his work& memory are alive & will never die"
"When Mosul fell to ISIS Martyr Kurram Zaki told me that he wants to go to Iraq to fight against ISIS. I told Martyr Kurram Zaki then that his work in Pakistan is also important & that Martyrdom is a blessing from God & can meet us anywhere."
'Killed by sectarian outfits'
A spokesperson of Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) said that Khurram Zaki, 40, was not only a prominent civil society activist but also a religious scholar who tended to attend programmes on various TV channels.
The MWM spokesperson said they believed that banned sectarian outfits were involved in this gruesome murder.
