Umair Siddiqui admits killing 120 people: Rangers

KARACHI: The Sindh Rangers claimed that an MQM target killer produced before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday was involved in 120 target killings.
A detailed investigation report released to the media about Umair Siddiqui, who was remanded in Rangers’ custody for 90 days, stated the accused was tasked with killing the party’s opponents, the MQM’s own party workers and personnel of the law-enforcement agencies.
Umair formed a death squad, comprising 23 target killers, allegedly on the instructions of Karachi Tanzeemi Committee (KTC) in charge Hammad Siddiqui. The squad killed around 120 MQM opponents, the report said.
The Rangers told the court that Umair used to get all his instructions from Hammad Siddiqui. They further told the court that Umair’s death squad also killed Lance Naik Shaukat of the Sindh Rangers and Tahir alias Nadeem SP.
The accused was also involved in the killing of a guard of Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Shahid Hussain and Sabeehullah, a nephew of MQM leader Amir Khan.
During investigation, Umair disclosed that the Rabita Committee Deputy Convener Anees Qaimkhani convened a meeting at the Khurshid Begum Memorial Hall in 2008 where directives to expedite killings on an ethnic basis were issued. Hammad Siddiqui and all sector and joint sector in charges attended the meeting, the report stated.
Umair also confessed to his involvement in the purchase of weapons for a militant wing of the party. In one instance, he allegedly purchased 40 Kalashnikovs, eight Light Machine Guns (LMGs), one rocket launcher, six G-3 rifles, five China rifles and three machine-guns.
The accused further disclosed that this year all sector in charges were directed to deposit their weapons with Nine-Zero to prevent them from getting into the hands of the law-enforcement agencies during raids. He said the weapons were shifted from one place to another in ambulances.
About the Baldia Town factory fire, he claimed that the factory was set on fire by Baldia sector in-charge Rehman Bhola along with his other accomplices.
He further told the investigators that as many as 250 to 300 target killers were hiding in shelters around Nine-Zero.
The accused further disclosed that during the last general elections, around 60 to 70 workers of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar sector cast fake votes in favour of Faisal Sabzwari in the Maymar Sector on his orders.
The accused said the sector office summoned the presiding officers and gave them 15 to 20 ballot boxes for each polling station in the constituency.