Pakistan intelligence agencies to join probe into Sabeen Mahmud murder

A day after Pakistani female human rights and peace activist Sabeen Mahmud was shot dead in Karachi after hosting a discussion on allegations of torture in Balochistan province, Director General Inter Service Public Relations on Saturday tasked intelligence agencies to assist in the investigation of the killing.

The ISPR condemned the killing and termed it as "tragic and unfortunate", saying that 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 Sabeen's murder.

While condemning the murder, the US embassy in Pakistan spokesperson said here on Saturday, "We strongly condemn the murder of Sabeen Mahmud and the wounding of her mother."

"We extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones and our wishes for her mother's full and speedy recovery," the spokesperson said.

She said Sabeen was a courageous voice of the Pakistani people and her death represents a great loss.

Sabeen, founder of social forum T2F, was shot dead on Friday night, minutes after the end of an interactive discussion, "Unsilencing Balochistan".

According to reports, pillion riders on a motorcycle attacked Sabeen and her mother on Sunset Boulevard after they had left the T2F in a car.

Both of them suffered bullet injuries and were taken to a nearby private hospital where doctors pronounced Sabeen dead.

Her mother was shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital. She is in critical condition.

"She was returning home with her mother in a car after the seminar she had organised on Balochistan," he said.

"It's an incident of targeted killing, but we are not aware of any threats she had been receiving. The investigations are on and it would be too early to speculate about the motive behind the killing," the officer said.

"She sustained four bullet injuries on her face, neck and chest," a doctor said.

Half an hour before her murder, Sabeen's Facebook status read: "Unsilencing Balochistan (Take 2) with Wusatullah Khan, Mama Qadeer, Farzana Baloch and Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur. Moderated by Moneeza Ahmed."