ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) condemned the killing of rights activist Sabeen Mahmud, who was brutally gunned down in Karachi a day earlier.
Director General ISPR, Asim Bajwa took to Twitter to post a short statement condemning the murder as “tragic and unfortunate”, adding that the intelligence agencies have been tasked to assist in the investigation of the killing.
The ISPR statement comes as an apparent response to mounting criticism on social media in the aftermath of Mahmud’s murder.
Mahmud was shot dead in Karachi on Friday as she made her way home after hosting a seminar about human rights abuses in Balochistan. The seminar titled “Unsilencing Balochistan Take 2”, featured two prominent Baloch rights activists, Mama Abdul Qadeer and Farzana Baloch, among other speakers.
Mahmud, who ran ‘The Second Floor’, a cafe that organises debates and art events, had just left the venue with her mother when her car was attacked by gunmen in Karachi’s Defence neighbourhood.
Mahmud was hit by five bullets and died at the scene, police said. Her mother was critically injured and was shifted to a hospital where her condition is now reported to be out of danger. Friends and well-wishers devastated by Mahmud’s brutal killing have taken to Twitter and Facebook to share fond memories and heartfelt tributes.