2007 Karachi Riots - Shooting of Syed Hammad Raza

Shooting of Syed Hammad Raza

During the early evening of 13 May, Syed Hammad Raza, a senior official in Pakistan's Supreme Court, was shot dead at approximately 4:30 p.m. near his home in Islamabad. Mr. Raza was a close associate of Chaudhry. Chaudhry visited Shabana Raza, Syed Raza's widow, in condolence that night. According to Reuters, Mrs. Raza told Chaudhry: "You called him to Islamabad — you should have protected him, and now my children need protection as well.”

According to one of Chaudhry's lawyers, Tariq Mehmood, " was witness to many things. the chief justice said in his petition that some files were removed from his chamber on the day he was suspended.... He was under pressure." Mehmood declined further comment.

An editorial in The Daily Times, a leading newspaper in Lahore, wrote “The possibility of any compromise to correct the original mistake of Musharraf removing the C.J.P. has vanished now.... The ante has been upped by the government.”