Saulat Mirza ( ur, born Saulat Ali Khan; 1971–12 May 2015), was a Pakistani convicted murderer, target killer, and a political activist of the

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement (abbreviated MQM) is a name currently claimed by two competing Pakistani political factions: * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London, a political faction managed from the UK * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan Muttah ...

(MQM). In 1997, he was convicted of a triple murder and was awarded a death sentence for the targeted murder of

Shahid Hamid Shahid Hamid ( Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani lawyer and former politician who served as the Governor of Punjab from 11 March 1997 to 18 August 1999, during Nawaz Sharif's second term in office as Prime Minister. He was affiliated with the Pak ...

, a bureaucrat and managing-director of

KESC KESC (99.7 FM) is a non-commercial radio station that is licensed to Morro Bay, California and broadcasts to the San Luis Obispo, California area. The station is owned by the University of Southern California (USC) and rebroadcasts the classical ...

(now ''

K-Electric Electric (KE) ( ur, ) (formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company / Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited) is a Pakistani investor-owned utility company based in Karachi. K-Electric is a privately owned and vertically-integrated e ...

''), along with his driver Ashraf Brohi, and his guard Khan Akbar, all of whom were killed in the neighborhood of

Defence Housing Authority, Karachi The Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi ( ur, ), formerly Pakistan Defence Officers Cooperative Housing Society, is a residential neighbourhood or a housing society located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi. It was originally establishe ...

on the 5 July 1997. After arrest by the

CID CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...

in 1998 and upon returning from

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, Mirza was awarded death sentence by the Anti-Terrorism Court on 24 May 1999. Since then, his family have filed clemency applications in two separate occasions: first in

Sindh High Court The High Court of Sindh ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest Court of Appeal for Sindh in ...

in 2000 and in the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of Pakistan in 2002; all applications were rejected by the

apex court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. In 2013, his family submitted another application to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

for clemency which was also rejected. After a

death warrant An execution warrant (also called death warrant or black warrant) is a writ that authorizes the execution of a condemned person. An execution warrant is not to be confused with a " license to kill", which operates like an arrest warrant but ...

was issued on 11 March 2015, the execution was set to be carried out in Central Jail Mach in

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

on 19 March 2015. Upon hearing the execution news, his family began pleading his case, where his wife and sisters held multiple

press conferences A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...

, demanding a re-investigation. After releasing a confession

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

to multiple private news channels, where he leveled charges of murder involvement of Altaf Hussain, Mirza's execution was ultimately halted on presidential orders and an active investigation against

MQM MQM may refer to: * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London (MQM) * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) * Muhajir Qaumi Movement – Haqiqi (MQM-H) * Mardin Airport, Turkey (IATA: MQM) * South Marquesan language Marquesan is a collection o ...

was launched by the

Pakistan government The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories ...

. After rejecting the second and final appeal for clemency Mirza was executed on 12 May 2015 at the supermax facility, the Central Jail Macch,

Background

Saulat Mirza was born as Saulat Ali Khan in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

and grew up in the rural

Malir Malir Town ( sd, ملير ٽائون, ur, ) lies in the northern part of the city that was named after the Malir River. History Administrative status 2000 The federal government under introduced local government reforms in the year 2 ...

neighborhood in

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

in 1971. In his interrogation process, he confirmed his Urdu-speaking background and his Yousafzai Pathan ancestry; his parents emigrated from what is now

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

at the time of the

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father, Wajahat Ali Khan, worked as an army civilian

staff clerk A staff clerk is a professional specialist clerk in the British Army who is a member of an administrative corps, as opposed to a unit clerk, who is a member of the corps or regiment in which he or she works and is trained first and foremost in the ...

in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

, whereas mother was a housewife. After

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

from a local school, Mirza initially enrolled for

pre-medical Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

degree but instead ended up getting intermediate diploma in

Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

from Pakistan Shipowners College. He eventually graduated from the BCom from the business school of Karachi University. It was during this time, Mirza joined the All Pakistan Muttahidda Students Organization (APMSO), taking strong participation in

student politics Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political e ...

. The

APMSO The All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organization (APMSO; ) is a Pakistani student organization notable for creating a political party: the Mohajir Quami Movement, now called the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London#History, Muttahida Qaumi Mo ...

is a student wing of then known as Mohajir Qaumi Movement later changed into

(MQM). In his college years, Mirza was an avid fan of Pakistan cricket team and often played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

as well as

Table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

. Mirza was described as young good looking and attractive person and a devoted worker of the

Political career and targeted killings

After joining the

and taking part in national politics, Mirza soon participated in illegal activities such as

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

and involved in acquitting in political murders. Mirza largely remained unknown and was not a known figure in the MQM until 1995 when his close friend Faheem Farooqi got arrested in 1995 and described him as his right-hand man. At one time, Mirza was a major figure in the militant wing of the

as per Pakistani agencies allegations, running several death cells. He was accused of coordinating the murders of six

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

nationals in

Shahrah-e-Faisal Shahrah-e-Faisal, founded as Drigh Road, is a boulevard in Karachi that runs , from the Bhutto Underpass near Hotel Metropole in central Karachi, to Star Gate near Jinnah International Airport, where it becomes N-5 National Highway.

, but he denied involvement in the killing of two US diplomats and four U.S. nationals of an American Oil Company in the city in 1994. However, the investigation later revealed

Nadeem Commando The Nadeem Commando was a small militant Muhajir organization in Pakistan. The origin of the group is unknown, but it is thought to have been active from at least the early 1990s until 1996, when the Pakistani government declared that the majority o ...

, an accomplice of Mirza, was the main culprit; Nadeem was later killed in a

police encounter A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

in 1997 by Karachi Police. Since then, the FIA and the intelligence community had him under strict surveillance. Although, Mirza did admit to killing a number of people, including a Pakistani employee of the U.S.

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...

in 1995. Mirza reportedly fled the country in 1995 after

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

initiated a massive crackdown against

and returned home after

's dismissal in 1996. On 5 July 1997, he shot and killed the

Managing Director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Electric (KE) ( ur, ) (formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company / Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited) is a Pakistani investor-owned utility company based in Karachi. K-Electric is a privately owned and vertically-integrated e ...

(KESC) Shahid Hamid, his driver and guard in Karachi. He reportedly escaped to

and only returned to

2 weeks after his mother's death on 10 December 1998. A day later, on 11 December 1998, Mirza was arrested from the

Jinnah Terminal Jinnah International Airport ( ur, جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi Civil Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017� ...

in a sting operation led by CID officer Aslam Khan and was described as a "prize catch." During his arrest, Mirza confessed that he was involved in a number of murders of innocent people, including several high-profile personalities, in the presence of

DIG Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock (geology), rock on the surface of Earth. Di ...

Sindh Police Ameen Qureshi. Mirza's wife later testified that he was in contact with Altaf Hussain just before arrest, though the

denied the charge. In May 1999, the Anti-Terrorist Court awarded him a death sentence for the triple-murder case of MD of

Shahid Hamid, his driver Ashraf Brohi and guard Akbar Khan. In April 2014, he was transferred to supermax facility, the Central Jail Macch in

, and was placed in the Death Cell after his mercy plea was rejected by

and

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Mamnoon Hussain. The Anti-Terrorism court issued the black warrant on 12 March against Mirza to be executed on 19 March 2015 in the early morning at Machh Jail Baluchistan. His sister filed another petition in

seeking delay in execution but two-Judge bench turned down her appeal. A few hours before Mirza's scheduled execution a video tape was released on Electronic Media of Mirza's confession, in which he accused MQM of ordering him to perform the crime. The MQM chief Altaf Hussain denied having met with Saulat and said there was no evidence, but instead claimed a conspiracy against MQM.

Execution and burial

The execution originally scheduled for 19 March 2015 was deferred for 72 hours. An anti-terrorism court in

re-issued a black warrant on 23 March 2015. On 12 May 2015 at 4:30 a.m., Saulat Mirza was hanged till death at Machh Jail in Baluchistan, Pakistan. His body was flown from

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

via PIA flight. Mirza's last prayers and ceremony were performed in

and he was laid to rest at Muhammad Shah graveyard, North Karachi, which was attended by his close friends, family members and neighbours.

References

External links

Saulat Mirza New Execution Date & Video Statement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirza, Saulat 1971 births 2015 deaths People from Karachi University of Karachi alumni Muhajir people Muttahida Qaumi Movement politicians Prisoners and detainees of Pakistan People executed by Pakistan by hanging Pakistani people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Pakistan