Aftab Ahmed, a close aide of senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar, died in the custody of paramilitary Rangers, as the Sindh Rangers DG Bilal Akber admitted that the deceased MQM worker was tortured by his personnel.
Ahmed was reportedly under a three-month preventive detention after he was detained by law enforcers in a raid on Federal B Area Sunday evening.
Talking to a news channel on Tuesday night, Major General Bilal Akbar accepted that Aftab Ahmed was tortured during custody and the standard operating procedures were not followed by some Rangers personnel in this case.
The DG Rangers assured that stern action will be taken against those responsible for this misconduct but maintained that Aftab’s death had occurred due to a heart attack.
The statement comes after pictures and videos were seen doing rounds on the social media, reportedly showing the corpse of the deceased MQM worker having major torture marks across his body.
According to MQM leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Aftab Ahmed died under custody around 4am Tuesday morning. “We demand that a medical board be constituted to thoroughly investigate the death of the MQM worker,” Hassan said while talking to reporters.
Also, Dr Farooq Sattar demanded transparent inquiry into the death of his coordinator.
A medico-legal officer at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre confirmed Ahmed’s death, and said that a magistrate would oversee the post-mortem of the MQM worker’s body.
“Aftab Ahmed was brought to the Jinnah Hospital at 7:25 am this (Tuesday) morning. He passed away during treatment in the emergency ward,” said Dr Seemi Jamali, the head of the ward.
She further said that “cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed on the patient who had no pulse and no blood pressure when he was brought to the hospital.” He died at around 7:45 am after doctors failed to revive him, added the doctor.
Ahmed’s mother expressed shock upon learning the news of sudden death of her son, saying he was a healthy man and had never even complained of headache.
Additional police surgeon Dr Kaleem Shaikh meanwhile said the exact cause of Ahmed’s death would be ascertained after post-mortem. Because the MQM worker died a custodial death, he added, the autopsy would be performed in the presence of a magistrate who is currently awaited.
Meanwhile, the MQM announced one-day mourning on the death of its worker.
Including Dr Farooq Sattar, a large number of MQM leaders and workers attended the funeral of Aftab Ahmed who left behind five children and a widow. Funeral prayers were offered at Numaish Chowrangi.
Aftab Ahmed was reportedly detained by law enforcers in plainclothes during a raid near Mukka Chowk in Federal B Area on Sunday evening. He was among seven suspects presented before an anti-terrorism court on Monday.
A Rangers lawyer had informed the court that suspects belonging to the MQM were involved in murder of over 40 people. The court had granted the Rangers’ request for a 90-day preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.