- Just hours before his scheduled hanging, MQM hitman Saulat Mirza accuses party chief Altaf Hussain of directly ordering assassinations
- Statement leads to a postponement of Mirza’s execution for 72 hours in a hurriedly called meeting at the Presidency
In a damning ‘video confession’ made available to media just hours before the scheduled execution of MQM’s convicted hitman Saulat Mirza, the man condemned to death for carrying out several high-profile assassinations in Karachi accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and some other leaders of directly ordering the ‘hits’. The statement led to a postponement of Mirza’s execution for 72 hours in a hurriedly called meeting at the Presidency late on Wednesday night.
Saulat Mirza, in a supposed video confession aired on a news channel, hurled startling allegations in which he confessed to being an MQM worker and carrying out the murder of KESC chief Shahid Hamid on direct orders from Altaf Hussain.
“I was summoned at Babar Ghauri’s house where I took Altaf Hussain’s orders via telephone. Altaf Hussain would usually pass on instructions through Babar Ghauri,” alleged Saulat Mirza, further claiming that MQM leader Azeem Tariq was also murdered by him on Altaf Hussain’s orders.
Mirza revealed that orders were given on telephone by the party chief himself. Usually, the party chief would either give orders himself or through the likes of Babar Ghauri.
He further alleged that people whom the party wanted to save from police torture are provided protection in police stations through Governor Ishratul Ebad Khan. Even during the PPP’s government, Mirza said that he was facilitated in jail and allowed to meet family members in separate rooms.
In the video, shot apparently on death row in Mach Jail, shows Mirza claiming that Altaf would not let anyone to rise in the party, adding that the MQM chief ordered the murder of Azeem Tariq when he started rising within the party ranks. Similarly, when former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal started getting popular among masses, he was disgracefully thrown out of the party.
Mirza appealed to his fellow party workers to take heed from his fate, of how he was used and then later discarded like ‘used tissue paper’.
The death row convict said earlier he was afraid for the safety of his family.
EXECUTION STAYED:
In a dramatic turn of events, just minutes after Mirza’s ‘confessional’ video was broadcast, his execution was stayed for 72 hours.
The decision was reportedly taken by President Mamnoon Hussain on the request of Interior Ministry.
BACKGROUND:
Mirza was found guilty of murdering the then managing director (MD) of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), now K-electric, Malik Shahid Hamid, his driver Ashraf Brohi, and his guard Khan Akbar outside Hamid’s residence in DHA on July 5, 1997.
Previously a resident of Block J in North Nazimabad, Karachi, Saulat was his parents’ fourth child.
Having received his intermediate education from Pakistan Shipowners’ College in Karachi, he became active in student politics and joined the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO), the students’ wing of MQM, then an acronym for Mohajir Qaumi Movement.
His name first appeared on intelligence and security agencies’ radar in 1994, after the killing of two US diplomats at Karachi’s Shahrah-i-Faisal and murder of four workers of an American oil company, Union Texas, near PIDC Bridge.
He was believed to have been arrested from Karachi airport after his arrival from Bangkok; police confirmed his arrest at a press conference on December 11, 1998.
During that press conference, in the presence of the then Karachi DIG, Ameen Qureshi, Saulat Mirza made revelations about his involvement in the murder of scores of innocent people, including several high-profile personalities.
Mirza was initially detained by FIA immigration officials for travelling on a fake identity but was handed over to the then Station House Officer (SHO) of Gulbahar police station, Mohammad Aslam Khan (Chaudhry Aslam), who was also present at the airport on intelligence reports.
Arrest the real culprits not only the tools to eradicate terrorism within in MQM not only MQM but all political parties. Democracy is a tool to solve the problems of the people at grass root level not terrorize the whole nation and that is happening today.
Now the cat is out of the bag. Immediate arrest of Ghauri, Altaf and the rest is important and delay in the execution of Mirza is important too.
Saulat Mirza's statement that Altaf Hussain issued assassination orders from London on telephone seems a bit far-fetched and suspect because in these days when tapping of phones is quite common, and US President Richard Nixon had to leave his job because of that, a party leader who is smart enough to have maintained his hold on to his position for decades against all odds, would hardly commit such folly.
Saulat Mirza also said that he was afraid for the safety of his family. And by using his concern for the family, it will not be all that difficult for powerful people to force him to make statements of their liking.
Also, he has been in detention for long and if his conscience really pricked him, he had all the time in the world to make his confessional statements. However, the fact that he chose to make the 'disclosure' only with his hanging just a few days away, makes one think that perhaps it was not so much the prick of conscience but rather the fear of death which made him do it. And instead of releasing all information that he had, the fact that he chose to hold back part of it, which he would disclose only after his hanging is deferred, just reinforces the belief that he did all this as a part of his bargaining strategy, perhaps to secure an 'approver' status for himself which would guarantee him immunity from prosecution or a substantial lessening in his sentence. The fact that Saulat Mirza managed to make video recordings and their release to the media from inside a maximum-security prison also makes one feel that perhaps powerful circles were in touch with him for some time and provided him the requited help.
Saulat Mirza has already scored his first victory. Let us see how the rest of the drama unfolds.
Karachi
Why has it taken him so long to spill the beans. How can we trust him. Is it a last act to save his neck.? He has still blood on his hands. Reminds me of ZAB 's trial!
I saw the man speaking on the website. For a man facing the gallows he is showing remarkable composure. His memory of events is crystal clear. He is asking for no mercy or pardon. It looks like a set up interview.
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