KARACHI: Police have registered a case into the “kidnapping” of a prominent Pakistani businessman in Karachi on the intervention of a high court, his lawyer said on Saturday, three days after the incident.
Zulfiqar Ahmed, managing director of Paracha Textile Mills and Mezan Group, was kidnapped from Mauripur Road on July 23 after he left his office in Sher Shah area, according to the police report. A white Toyota Surf vehicle intercepted their car and eight armed men forced Ahmed and his friend, Qaiser, into it before dropping Ahmed’s friend off a short distance away.
Ahmed’s friend informed about the kidnapping his family and the company, which submitted an application in the Kalri police station on the same day. When the police refused to register a complaint, the family requested the Sindh High Court (SHC) to intervene in the matter. Mian Ali Ashfaq, the counsel representing Ahmed and his family, said police registered a case after the court orders.
“The news [of Ahmed’s abduction] somehow gained traction on social media,” Ashfaq told Arab News on Saturday. “After social media spotlight about court order and my protest, my team of office associates went to the police station, where, after four hours, the FIR [First Information Report] was finally registered and a copy was provided to us by Friday afternoon.”
Pakistanis widely shared news about Ahmed’s abduction across social media platforms, calling on authorities to take steps for the release of the businessman, who is also widely regarded for his charity work.
Asad Raza, deputy inspector-general (DIG) of Karachi’s South district where the incident occurred, dismissed the allegations of police inaction in the case and said they had been working on it since it was first reported to them.
“It is insubstantial whether the FIR is registered instantly or after one day’s delay as long as we were working on the case when the abduction took place,” he told Arab News.
Ashfaq, counsel of the Ahmed family, said the SHC had issued notices to respondents and fixed the matter for a hearing on Tuesday. “We hope that Zulfiqar Ahmed will be recovered and reunited with the family before the next hearing,” he added.
On Friday, Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho said two high-powered teams were investigating the case.
“A high-powered team, under the supervision of the DIG of the CIA [Crime Investigation Agency of police] and another under the DIG of the area, are working on it,” Odho told Arab News. “I am confident this case will be resolved soon.”

ISLAMABAD: Jamat-e-Islami (JI), a Pakistani religio-political party, on Saturday vowed to continue its sit-in in Rawalpindi against the rising cost of living and additional taxes imposed in the latest budget, despite the government forming a negotiation committee for talks with the protesters.
The JI, led by Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, announced the sit-in in Islamabad to call for a reduction in power tariff amid soaring inflation and to review Pakistan’s agreements with independent power producers (IPPs).
The party’s caravans entered the capital from different directions as the district administration closed the capital’s Red Zone, which houses top government offices and the diplomatic enclave, with shipping containers and roads leading to parliament.
“Our dharna will continue as long as the government accepts our demands for a significant reduction in inflation and electricity prices,” Aamir Baloch, a JI spokesperson, told Arab News.
“The party chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman will be announcing a fresh strategy for the protests, dharna and engagement with the government today afternoon.”
The government has formed a three-member committee, which includes Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and two senior members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, to hold talks with the JI leadership.
“We are ready for negotiations, but don’t disrupt public life,” Tarar said at a news conference on Friday. “The government’s three-member committee will talk to you. Amir Muqam, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and I will negotiate with you. Whenever you express willingness, we are ready for the negotiations.”
But Baloch said the party would continue its protest and JI chief Rehman would join the sit-in at Zero Point — a major intersection in the city where various key roads and highways connect with each other — on Saturday.
He said thousands of JI workers had already reached the area, despite the government’s “brutalities.”
“The police have arrested dozens of our peaceful workers from D-Chowk,” he said, referring to a key spot close to the parliament building in Islamabad.
“The government wants to incite the peaceful protesters through such strong-arm tactics. It will be responsible for any law-and-order situation, if our workers are not released immediately.”
Police in the capital have deployed additional contingents, including personnel with riot gears, to prevent any untoward incident.
The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Expressway has also been closed with shipping containers near the Zero Point bridge, where the JI protesters have gathered.
Baloch said the party leadership would announce their future course of action after reaching Zero Point.
“One thing is for sure,” he said. “We are here to stay and will definitely stage a sit-in to press the government to meet our legitimate demands regarding inflation and taxes.”