KARACHI: The Sindh government and police have announced the arrest of four suspects associated with a proscribed organisation in connection with the murder of journalist and anchorperson Imtiaz Mir.
Imtiaz Mir, affiliated with Metro News Television, was killed last month while travelling home in his elder brother’s car.
On the National Highway, six assailants riding two motorcycles opened fire on the vehicle, fatally wounding the journalist. He was shifted to a private hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, journalists staged protests over the police’s delayed response and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, members of his cabinet, and leaders from various political parties had condemned the killing, while the chief minister directed the inspector general to ensure the culprits’ swift arrest.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Police Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon, and Additional IG Javed Alam Odho held a joint press conference today to share progress in the case.
Lanjar said that four individuals involved in the journalist’s murder had been arrested in a joint operation conducted by Karachi Police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
He said that the suspects were affiliated with a banned organisation and received instructions from abroad.
Lanjar termed the arrests a major breakthrough in the case, revealing that the motorcycle used in the attack had also been recovered.
Imtiaz Mir’s brother, Riaz Ali, had lodged an FIR at the Saudabad police station under Sections 34 (common intention) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code, naming one man and his two sons as suspects.
According to the complainant, the attack was carried out on the orders of Umar Daraz and his sons, Ahmed Bakhsh and Aftab, with whom the family had a land dispute in their native area of Jacobabad.
Saudabad SHO Ateequr Rehman said that both parties belonged to the same tribe and recalled that the slain anchor had previously registered a case against the same suspects at Shah Latif Town police station in 2023.
According to a report published last month by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), 87 journalists have been killed in Pakistan between 2006 and 2023 — only two of those cases have been ‘resolved’.