At least one person died at a protest organised by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Tuesday in protest against the killing of its senior member Dr Pervez Mehmood aged 50. Hundreds of angry activists of JI marched on main M.A. Jinnah Road to take the funeral of the slain Dr Pervez Mehmood to Chief Minister House to record their protest with the Sindh government.
On their way to Chief Minister House, the protestors clashed with the police near Governor House as a result, one person received injuries from bullets, which are believed to be fired by the law enforcers. The deceased was recognised as Abdul Wahid as JI activist who on way to hospital succumbed to injuries. The JI protesters whom Sindh Chief, Asad Ullah Bhutto led staged a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister House. They chanted anti-MQM slogans and demanded of the government to bring the killers to justice.
The protestors also resorted to aerial gunfire. A ruling PPP delegation received the protesters' memorandum at the Chief Minister House. The angry protestors burnt the MQM chief's portraits and signboards. Former City Nazim and Patron-e-Chief of Al-Khidmat Foundation, Naimatullah Khan Advocate offered the funeral prayer which were attended by a large number of JI activists and members of other political parties, including ANP, PPP, PML-N and Sunni Tehreek at Nomaish Chowrangi.
Amongst the prominent people were the former Sindh Labour Minister, Ameer Nawab of ANP and representative of PML-N Saleem Zia. He was laid to rest at Sakhi Hassan Graveyard, amid tears and sobbing. JI's key member, Dr Pervez Mehmood who served as a Nazim of Liaquatabad Town from 2001 to 2005 was killed on Monday midnight in Nazimabad. According to the JI, Dr Pervez had been on the hit-list of a rival group and was facing threats against his life for quite a long time.
He left a widow and a daughter behind to mourn his death. The law enforcers had suggested to him to leave the city and shift abroad or elsewhere in the country but he had refused. Dr Pervez Mehmood began his political career as a student in 1980 at the Jamiat Taliba-e-Islam platform, the JI says.