Minority MPA shot dead by bodyguard in Quetta

 

QUETTA: Minority MPA Handery Masieh, who belonged to the ruling National Party (NP) in Balochistan, was shot dead by his bodyguard here in the Nawan Killi area on Saturday.
Official sources said MPA Handery Masieh along with his nephew Owais Masieh was heading towards his vehicle that was parked near his home in Nawan Killi, when they were attacked. The attacker sprayed bullets from his automatic weapon injuring the MPA and his nephew. Later, the MPA succumbed to his injuries on his way to hospital.

Reports suggested that the incident happened at around 1:15pm. The attacker fled the scene after the incident.

Official sources said the MPA was hit by two bullets, one each in the head and neck.

Police and FC officials rushed to the spot and started the probe into the matter.

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch expressed deep grief over the cold-blooded murder of his party’s senior activist. He said he had directed top police officials to apprehend the murderer.

The body of the MPA was later shifted to Civil Hospital for autopsy.

Moving scenes were witnessed in Civil Hospital where people belonging to the Christian community strongly protested the killing of their leader. They blocked Jinnah Road for several hours and chanted slogans against the cold-blooded murder of the MPA. They demanded of the government to apprehend those involved in the killing.

The murder created tension in the provincial capital and the law enforcement agencies were deployed in the Nawan Killi area to prevent any violent reaction to the assassination. The law enforcement agencies also set up checkposts to apprehend the culprit.

Agencies add: Handery Masieh belonged to Balochistan’s Mastung district and was an active leader of the ruling NP.

“The same guard was serving with Handery Masieh for the past 15 years,” Rehmat Baloch, provincial health minister, said.

Abdul Razzaq Cheema, the city’s police chief, said: “The bodyguard had some personal dispute with Handery Masieh’s nephew and both had a brawl outside the residence of the lawmaker. “The bodyguard opened fire on the nephew as Handery came out of his home to stop him. He was hit in the neck and died on the way to hospital.”

Cheema added that the bodyguard was “loyal” and bore Handery no personal enmity.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi and MQM chief Altaf Hussain strongly condemned the assassination of Handery Masieh.

In their separate messages, they expressed sympathies with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.

Balochistan MPA Handery Masieh killed in Quetta

QUETTA: Balochistan MPA, Handery Masieh has been killed in an attack on his life here on Saturday.

Masieh’s family said he was attacked by his personal guard. Speaking to media, Masieh’s brother said he was gunned down by his guard outside their residence.

Hospital sources said the MPA was shot in the head and neck. A spokesman for the Balochistan government confirmed that Masieh had been killed by his guard.

Police said Handery Masieh and his nephew were attacked outside his residence. Police have cordoned off the area and started a search operation for the attacker.

The MPA was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the Balochistan government to take immediate action against Handery Masieh’s attackers. He added that the protection of minorities was the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments.

Masieh who was affiliated with the National Party was elected from NM-65 on a reserved seat for minorities.

This is a developing story and further details are awaited.

Pindi Bhattian police book PTI 28 activists, arrest 10 for misbehaving MPA Farzana

c son and nephew of newly elected PTI MPA Nighat Intasar for misbehaving with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Farzana Butt, Geo News reported.

PTI activists during the Hafizabad PP-107 by-poll on May 29 had mobbed the car of PML-N MPAs Farzana Butt and Salma Shaheen, dragged them out of the car, pushed, shoved, shouted and abused them at the Government High School no.2 Pindi Bhattian polling station. Some of the activists also tried to snatch Farzana Butt’s purse.

The Pindi Bhattian police taking action against this rowdy behaviour of PTI workers registered a case against 13 nominated including Nighat Intasar Bahtti’s son Aoun Jahangir, nephew Azm Jahangir and 15 unidentified PTI workers, while 10 accused have thus far been arrested.

PML-N MPA Rana Jameel Hasan kidnapped

RAWALPINDI: A PML-N member of the Punjab provincial assembly, Rana Jameel, was kidnapped for ransom from the Pindi Bhattian Interchange on Saturday.

Police sources, quoting a statement of the wife of the kidnapped MPA, said that the MPA along with his family was travelling in his car towards Rawalpindi/Islamabad to spend the weekend with their family friends when four to five gunmen in a car intercepted their vehicle near the Pindi Bhattian Interchange and two of them hijacked the car of the MPA and took control of the steering after holding the MPA and his family at gunpoint, adding that they drove down the Motorway and took the exit from Taxila. The captors however dropped his wife and children at Taxila and drove away with the MPA leaving a message to pay Rs50 million ransom otherwise the MPA will be killed, police sources said.

The kidnapped MPA’s wife told the police that the captors were equipped with lethal weapons and warned to pay Rs50 million within the next 36 hours otherwise the MPA would be gunned down.

Earlier, upon receiving information, the top cops of the Rawalpindi police along with a heavy contingent of the Punjab police and paramilitary forces rushed to Taxila and Wah and launched an extensive search operation to recover the MPA and to hunt down the captors but in vain as the captors had left the area.

The police bosses claimed that they had received some clues that the captors and the kidnapped MPA were still in the vicinity of Taxila but they had made no headway.

The secret agencies were of the view that the captors had left the area for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa soon after dropping the MPA’s family at Taxila.

When contacted, the police neither denied nor endorsed the incident of the MPA’s kidnapping.

Rana Jameel was elected from Nankana Sahib as a MPA on a PML-N ticket.

APP adds: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif taking immediate notice of a news item of kidnapping of Rana Jamil Hassan, MPA, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) near Pindi Bhattian sought a report from the IG Police. The chief minister directed that effective steps should be taken for the early recovery of MPA Rana Jamil Hassan and to apprehend the culprits involved behind the abduction.