Abrar Hussain (; February 9, 1961 – June 16, 2011) was a professional Pakistani

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

and

light-middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...

boxer. Hussain represented Pakistan at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, 1988, and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. At the 1985 South Asian Games, he won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

for Pakistan in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. He also won a gold medal in boxing for Pakistan at the 1990 Asian Games. Hussain represented his country at the 1990 Commonwealth Games as well. He was the deputy director of Pakistan Sports Board and chairman of the Provincial Sports Board in

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

province of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

. He was shot dead outside his office in the southwestern city of

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

on June 16, 2011, by two unknown gunmen on a motorbike He belonged to the Hazara ethnic group and followed the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

sect of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. His killing allegedly had

sectarian Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...

motives.

Early life

Hussain was born February 9, 1961, in Mehrabad, Alamdar Road, a Hazara ethnic neighborhood in the city of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Some sources list his birth date as February 9, 1965.

Career

In 1983 Hussain made his international debut in Asian Boxing Championship in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

where he won a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

. In 1984 Hussain represented Pakistan in

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He participated in the men's

event and was ranked 17T. In 1988, Hussain represented Pakistan in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. He participated in men's

Light-middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...

and was ranked 9T. In 1992 Hussain represented Pakistan in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain. He participated in men's

was ranked 17T. In 1985 Hussain represented Pakistan in

South Asian Games The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...

in 1985 South Asian Games in

, Bangladesh and won a gold medal. In 1990 Hussain represented Pakistan in the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

and won a gold medal.

Awards

* Sitara-i-Imtiaz (''Star of Excellence'') by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 1989. *

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

by the

. * President's Gold Medal by the President of Pakistan in 1991.

Death

Hussain was shot dead outside of his office near Ayub National Stadium, on June 16, 2011, by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike. He was shot several times and also received a bullet in the head he was rushed to the nearest hospital but died before any medical assistance was given to him. The banned Pakistani

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed the responsibility for his killing.

Funeral

Hussain's body was taken to his home in a procession, and a very large number of people attended his funeral. He was buried in Behesht-e-Zainab Hazara cemetery on Alamdar road, Quetta.

Responses

No arrests were made by

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

and a demonstration was held by a large number of people from the Shia Hazara community demanding the arrest of the killers. The

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

expressed grief at his death. The Pakistan Boxing Federation named his death ''an irreparable loss to the sport''. Pakistani boxer Muhammad Waseem expressed grief and said that it was a huge loss. The PBF postponed the national tournaments including NBP National Ranking Tournament in Quetta and the Youth boxing tournament in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Abrar 1961 births 2011 deaths 2011 murders in Asia Asian Games medalists in boxing Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games competitors for Pakistan Deaths by firearm in Balochistan, Pakistan Pakistani people of Hazara descent Hazara sportspeople Olympic boxers for Pakistan Pakistani murder victims Pakistani Shia Muslims Sportspeople from Quetta People murdered in Balochistan, Pakistan Boxers at the 1986 Asian Games Boxers at the 1990 Asian Games Boxers at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Pakistani male boxers Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Pakistan Asian Games bronze medalists for Pakistan South Asian Games gold medalists for Pakistan South Asian Games medalists in boxing Light-middleweight boxers Recipients of the Pride of Performance Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen