KARACHI: Police in Pakistan's southern Sindh province have arrested four suspects in the murder case of anchorperson Imtiaz Mir, they said on Monday.
Mir, who hosted the show “Aaj Ki Baat With Imtiaz Mir” on Metro 1 News channel, was shot by two persons riding a motorbike in Karachi’s Malir area on Sept. 21, according to police. He passed away during treatment a week later.
In a statement, a spokesman for police in Sindh's provincial capital of Karachi said they conducted several raids, along with a federal intelligence agency, and arrested the suspects affiliated with a group, Lashkar-e-Sarullah.
The arrestees, Ijlal Zaidi, Shahab, Ehsan Abbas and Faraz Ahmed, were arrested amid Karachi police action against suspects involved in a recent spate of targeted killings in the city, which has had a history of violent crimes.
“We have detained four suspects, Syed Ijlal Zaidi son of Saeed Zaidi, Shahab son of Asghar, Ehsan Abbas son of Jaleel Hussain and Faraz Ahmed son of Manzoor Ahmed, who were originally affiliated with the Zainabiyoun Brigade," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tariq Nawaz told Arab News.
"During interrogation, it was revealed that they had formed a splinter group called Lashkar-e-Sarullah. This group targeted Imtiaz Mir because of his visit to Israel and his subsequent program in support of it. The suspects have confessed to their crime, after which the case has been closed."
In March, Israel Hayom, a Hebrew-language Israeli newspaper, had published a report that a 10-member Pakistani delegation of journalists, intellectuals and influencers had visited Israel for a week.
English-language Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post later said these Pakistanis had visited Israel to learn about the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.
Pakistan's foreign office had denied the reports, saying it was not "possible" under existing rules.
“The Government of Pakistan has noted reports regarding Pakistani journalists traveling to Israel. In this regard, it is clarified that Pakistani passports explicitly state they are ‘not valid for travel to Israel’,” the Pakistani foreign office said in response to media queries at the time.
“Therefore, no such visit is possible under existing regulations.”
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and pre-1967 borders.
