The police on Sunday claimed to have arrested a key suspect behind the killing of several religious leaders in Karachi. The suspect, identified as Wasi Haider, is accused of killing Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, Mufti Mohammad Abdul Majeed Deenpuri, Hafiz Mohammad Ahsan, Mufti Saleh Mohammad Qazi and others.
In May 2004, renowned religious scholar Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai was assassinated in gun attack on his car outside his home a few yards from the Jamia Binnoria in Jamshed Town of Karachi.
According to DIG West Feroz Shah, police arrested Wasi Haider from Karachi's Federal B Industrial Area and recovered weapons and a grenade from the suspect. The suspect belongs to a political party, he said.
Police officials claimed that Haider has been involved in target killing activities in Karachi since 2005. They said that Haider and his accomplices carried out the murder of Mufti Shamzai in 2005 near Gurumandir area. In 2007, he allegedly killed local resident Safdar in Lines Area for not paying extortion money. In 2009, he murdered SHO Brigade Nasirul Hasan, also in Lines Area neighbourhood. The alleged target killer was also involved in killing political party workers and businessmen.
In January 2013, Haider gunned down Jamia Banuri Uloom Islamia top cleric Mufti Mohammad Abdul Majeed Deenpuri, his fellow cleric Mohammad Saleh and Hassaan Shah in broad daylight on the busy Shahrae Faisal road, officials claimed.
Officials also accused the suspect of carrying out the target killings of several other political and religious leader activists and local residents for not paying extortion money.
Haider is said to have moved to Karachi in 2002 when he found residence in the Lines Area locality. In 2004, he joined a political party. Haider is under police custody and is being further interrogated.