Syed Ali Raza Abidi

Syed Ali Raza Abidi was the rare politician who was available to all, open to dissenting points of view and committed to human rights for all. His assassination in what appears to be a target killing outside his residence in Karachi on Tuesday night appears to be an attempt to reintroduce fear to our politics and strike a lethal blow against pluralism. It is far too early to speculate about the perpetrators although it is notable that Abidi was a voice of opposition to many power structures in the country. He was a man so affable that he had no known enemies but had surely angered many with his principled stance on a number of issues. It is notable that his killing came just two days after an attack on members of the Pak Sarzameen Party, and the authorities have suggested the two incidents could be linked. It is up to the government to properly investigate the killing and catch the perpetrators but confidence is not high given our failure to find those behind most high- profile political assassinations in the country, be it members of the Bhutto family or even our first ever prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan.Abidi’s killing also shows that perhaps Karachi is not quite as safe as we had been led to believe. If someone as prominent as Abidi could be killed outside his home, then anyone who is politically active will be in fear of their lives. The space available for political discourse has been gradually shrinking, and target killings are just one tool used to silence critics. Abidi was one of those who always fought for freedom of speech. He took the lead against the draconian cyber crime law when he was a member of the National Assembly and even allowed protests to take place at his popular Karachi restaurant. His example is one everyone in the political class should emulate. Even when the party of which he was a member was being publicly criticised and facing state action, no one had a bad word for Abidi. As a member of the Shia community, he was more aware than most of the discrimination that is endemic in our country. With his courage and honesty, Syed Ali Raza Abidi was one of our finest public servants and his killing will leave a void that will be difficult to fill.

from The News International - Editorial http://bit.ly/2SnpKq6