World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) utterly condemns the brutal murder of the Pakistani Shia human rights activist and journalist Syed Khurram Zaki yesterday at the hands of takfiri terrorists. Shaheed Zaki was gunned down while with friends at a restaurant in Karachi. We offer our condolences to his family, friends and all believers.

The target Shia killings that are occurring on a daily basis in Pakistan are appalling and an open challenge to the rule of law. The Pakistani government has been appealed to on innumerable occasions to deal with this lawless menace but it has failed to protect its citizens' rights to life, religious freedom and security.  This week alone has seen six Shias in Pakistan killed for their beliefs.

Shaheed Zaki was a tireless and fearless campaigner for human rights: he was an erudite journalist,  an impeccable scholar of traditional Islamic thought,  and a compassionate caring human being,  who spent his life campaigning for the rights of others and for his country to become a free-from-prejudice nation.  It is tragic that rather than rewarding him for his efforts, he was instead killed.

Shaheed Zaki's last facebook post was to congratulate the rule of law and democracy in the UK that saw the London mayoral election of Sadiq Khan. We are aggrieved that the same democratic fair process did not exist in his own country.

It is clearly evident that the takfiri terrorists are handpicking and attacking intellectuals as they fear knowledge and the truth that follows knowledge. The takfiri terrorists depend on the illiteracy and ignorance of the masses to forward their evil satanic designs and create fear of "the other". Only dialogue and education will remove such irrational fear.

WABIL urges the government of Pakistan to hunt down his and other targeted Shias' killers and bring them to justice.  The Nawaz Sharif administration has been accused of shielding terrorists for too long: it is in grave danger of losing all credibility if it fails to act and provide security for its Shia and other minority communities.

In the event of failing to act effectively, we urge the international community to play its role in protecting the human rights of Pakistan's citizens at risk from terrorism.

Sayed Mohammad Al-Musawi 
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL)
London, UK 

Previous Next