Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) female member of the National Assembly, Tahira Asif, succumbed to her bullet injuries at Sheikh Zayed Hospital late on Thursday night.
Tahira Asif was shot and injured by two armed motorcyclists during an apparent robbery bid in Lahore’s Iqbal Town area when she was buying fruit along with her daughter and driver. She received four bullet wounds in her abdomen and leg and doctors had conducted two lengthy operations since Wednesday afternoon to save her life, however she could not survive the injuries.
The senior leadership of the MQM has however alleged that Tahira Asif had been receiving threats from unidentified people for the last six months, and accused the Punjab government of indifferent attitude regarding provision of security to her.
MQM leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who arrived in Lahore from Karachi on Thursday, rejected the police’s claim that Tahira Asif was a victim of street crime. “The two assailants had identified Tahira Asif by her name before opening fire. This is a targeted killing and should not be treated as an attempted robbery incident,” he said, adding that the MQM demanded immediate arrest of Tahira Asif’s killers.
Soon after the news of Tahira Asif’s death broke out, a large number of MQM supporters gathered at the hospital and shouted slogans against the Punjab government. Meanwhile, a statement from the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office said that Shahbaz Sharif was deeply grieved by Tahira Asif’s death.