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KARACHI: A stalwart of Pakistan Peoples Party, Munawwar Suharwardi was put to death by unknown assailants in the coastal city of Karachi Thursday.

Late Munawwar Suharwardi held top slots in the opposition party [PPP] and had been chief of security to the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ms Benazir Bhutto as well as a provincial advisor and was simultaneously been the spokesman of the party Chairperson.

Unidentified gunmen fired over the car of Munawwar Suharwardi near Guru Mandir in Jamshed Quarters area. He was immediately rushed to Aga Khan Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

Violent Protests

Gunmen shot dead a top PPP leader of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's opposition party, triggering violent protests in the restive Pakistani port city of Karachi, police said.

Two men attacked the PPP leader Munawwar Suharwardi, a close confidante of Bhutto's, as he parked his car on a main road in eastern Karachi.

"He was parking his car along the road when two unknown assailants came in a white car and opened fire on Suharwardi," police said.

The Incident

Suharwardi, 44, was hit by three bullets but did not die instantly and managed to flag down an auto rickshaw to take him to the city's main Aga Khan hospital, where he died on arrival from heavy bleeding.

"He got three bullets in his body which later proved fatal," PPP's Karachi spokesman Ejaz Durrani said.

Updated

Munawwar Sohrawardi, a prominent leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the bodyguard of Benazir Bhutto was killed by unknown gunmen at Guru Mundir Chowk, one of the busiest places in the town at about 2.40 pm Thursday.

PPP's Chairperson, Ms Benazir Bhutto in a strong worded condemnation, has declared a three-day protest and has demanded judicial enquiry by a high court commission comprising Justice Aslam Nasir Zahid and Justice Mamoon Qazi into the act of terrorism. She said that Munawwar was her brother and shock of his murder was exactly the same as Murtaza Bhutto was assassinated in Karachi.

Sit-in at Parliament House

During three-day mourning the PPP parliamentarians will stage sit-in in front of the National Assembly and wear black bands. Demonstrations at the district level will also be held.

Eyewitness account reveals that two unknown assailants intercepted Munawwar, while he was looking for a place to park his car at Business Recorder Road. Travelling in a white car, two unknown persons asked Munawwar to stop his car and when he did so, one of the gunmen opened indiscriminate firing. The unknown gunmen after leaving Munawwar in a pool of blood managed to escape from the scene.

A rickshaw driver took him to Aga Khan Hospital.

Munawwar, however, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, he had sustained three bullet injuries. He has left behind three children, a wife, and a handicapped brother Farooq Sohrawardi.

Sketch

Munawwar Soharwardi had a distinction of being brought up under guidance of the PPP Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in his teens at Larkana as well as in Karachi. Munawwar got the opportunity to live in the house of PPP Chairman as one of the family members.

He was among the diehards of the PPP with an unshakeable loyalty for his party till he breathed his last. Currently, he was the Information Secretary PPP Sindh.

Target Killing

Declaring it as a target killing, the visibility shocked PPP’s parliamentary leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim said, it is the height of lawlessness. It seems that there exists no government or system to maintain law and order especially in the Province of Sindh.

A large crowd of the PPP workers, leaders of other political parties and a large number well-wishers gathered at the house of Munawwar Sohrawardi in Hyderabad Colony.

The angry crowd raised slogans against the government and what they called the failure on the part of the government in combating the wave of unabated acts of terrorism hitting Karachi in particular and the country in general.

The emotionally charged crowd set at least four vehicles on fire besides burning tires on the roads at Jail Chowrangi and Old Sabzi Mandi. They also hurled stones at the moving traffic and the roadside shops, which resulted in suspension of the traffic from Guru Mandir towards Lasbela, Jail Chowrangi and Hasan Square.

Angry PPP Men throng Hospital

Earlier the angry PPP followers thronged the hospital where Suharwardi's body was taken, while a group of young PPP loyalists set fire to several vehicles and two shops in the eastern district. They also pelted moving vehicles with stones.

"At least three vehicles are burnt," a bomb disposal squad official told said.

"We do not know the motives but it was a targetted killing," city police chief Tariq Jamil says.

Jamil said additional police teams had been deployed and the situation "is under control now."

Perspective

Suharwardi had a long association with PPP and had been a high profile campaigner of the party since he was a student.

Though he never entered parliament, he enjoyed a close association with Ms Benazir Bhutto, who ruled Pakistan twice as prime minister from 1988-90 and 1993-96. "Benazir Bhutto always used to treat him like her brother," Durrani said.

Police said an investigation had been launched. "We only know for now that there were two attackers and one stepped out of the car and opened fire but we can't say who they were," Shah said.

Wave of Violence

Karachi, a port city of 14 million people on the Arabian Sea, has been rocked by a wave of violence over since early last month.

Two suicide attacks on Mosques, a double car bomb attack near the US consul general's residence, a parcel bomb, the assassination of a Sunni cleric and three days of riots have left 51 people dead.

On June 10, an attack on a convoy carrying one of Pakistan's top army commanders, Karachi corps commander Lieutenant General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, left 11 people dead, including seven soldiers, three policemen and a civilian.

Ms Bhutto deeply aggrieved

And in London. The Chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party, Ms Benazir Bhutto has expressed Thursday her deep grief and woe over inhumane murder of Munawwar Suharwardi.

Ms Bhutto said: “Murder of Mr Munawar has brought immeasurably deep pain and grief. He was my trustworthy guard and party activist, but more than it he was closer to me than my own brothers.”

“I today felt the same kind of pain and distress over the innocent murder Munawar which I experienced on the occasion of the deaths of my brothers -- Shahnawaz Bhutto and Murtaza Bhutto.”

“Emanated out of the Munawar’s murder, I share the pain with Munawar’s mother, widow and children and his brother, she expressed.”

3-Day Mourning

We would observe three days to mourn the innocent murder of Munawar and would also protest it in different ways, she remarked.

She demanded full and complete investigation into the Munawar’s murder and for this an impartial and credible probe committee should be constituted.

Those involved in the killing of Munawar should be brought to book and made to undergo exemplary punishments.

Calls for Independent Inquiry

'Pakistan Times' Lahore Bureau adds: Chairperson, Pakistan Peoples Party, Ms
Benazir Bhutto has demanded a high powered judicial inquiry into the murder of her Sindh party leader Munawar Suharwardi.

Speaking at a news conference via telephone from London at Lahore Press Club Thursday evening, the PPP leader suggested the names of two former Supreme Court judges Nasir Zahid Mahmood and Mamoon Qazi to hold independent inquiry.

Black Day

Terming the murder of Munawar Suharwardi as a 'black day', she described him as a dedicated party activist, a peace lover and a party asset.

She said she would definitely return to Pakistan and would give party leadership 30-day prior notice.

Ms Bhutto said her party was in favour of holding dialogues with the authorities but this was not possible at present due to various obstacles to this effect.

She was of the view that peace and democracy could flourish in the country only when the political forces were allowed to play their due role.

The PPP chief said her party was always ready to participate in the general elections when ever these were held.

Critical Period for Pakistan

She said the country was passing through a critical period and it is necessary that all the true democratic forces come together to ensure the sustainability of democracy.

PPP leaders Khalid Ahmad Khan Kharal, Jahangir Badr, Qasim Zia,Abdul Qadir Shaheen,Munawar Anjum, Aziz-ur-Rehman Chan,Munir Ahmad Khan,Tahir Khalique,Samiullah Khan, Farzana Raja,Uzma Bokhari,Faiza Malik,Mushtaq Ahmad Awan, Sajida Mir and other party activists were also present at the venue.

MQM chief condemns the Episode

Yet another report from London says; The chief of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has severely condemned the gruesome murder of former provincial advisor Munawar, spokesman Pakistan Peoples Party’s.

According to a statement, Altaf Hussain said: “Recent cascade of bombs in Karachi and assassination bid on a Pakistan military corps command near Clifton bridge and the brutal killing of the PPP’s spokesman are part and parcel of the same terrorism plot.”

The wave of terrorism blowing in Karachi was apparently meant to only wreck law and order situation in Karachi and create political instability economic break-down in Sindh province, he observed.

Those who involved in the plot were not only the worst enemies of the province, but they were also open enemies of the country, he maintained.

Asks for Arrest of Culprits

The MQM chief demanded Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali Prime Minster, Dr Eshrat-ul-Ibad Governmor of Sindh and Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim Chief Minister of Sindh, immediate arrest those masterminding such lethal killings and blasts that have annihilated the routine life of the city in particular and the province in general.

He expressed his grief and pain over Munawar’s murder with mourning activists and leaders of the PPP and relatives and said: “We all are equally with you in this doleful incident.

The MQM chief, living in exile in UK also prayed to Almighty Allah for peace to the soul of assassinated Munawar.

Shujaat condemns Killing

President of the ruling faction of the Pakistan Muslim League [PML], Ch. Shujaat Hussain has also condemned the assassination of Munawar Suharwardy.

Speaking to 'Pakistan Times' he expressed deep shock and grief over the sad incident in which Munawar Suharwardy lost his life.

Shujaat Hussain said, on behalf of the PML he condemns the murder of a political worker. He said, his party always oppose all kinds of terrorism.

Regretting the terrorist activities, he said such acts neither benefit the country nor serve the democracy.

He invited all political parties to evolve a strategy to maintain law and order in each and every vicinity of the country with focus on the city of Karachi and its' subrubs.

Interior Minister Assures

Interior Minister, Faisal Saleh Hayat Thursday condemned assasination of PPP-P Leader Munawar Suhrawardi in Karachi and assured to apprehend the culprits.

In a stement in response to a point of order raised by both treasury and opposition members in Senate regarding murder of Suhrawardi, he said "Certainly, we would be able to get to the bottom of the case and successful in apprehending the culprists."

Terming the incident as tragic and unfortunate, he expressed his grief and sorrow over the tragic incident.

The Minister said government has taken concrete measures to protect life and property of people but some miscreants want to carry out such incidents for their vested interest.