Saulat Mirza ( born Saulat Ali Khan; 1971–12 May 2015), was a Pakistani

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

, target killer, and a

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). In 1997, he was convicted of a triple murder and was awarded a

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

for the targeted murder of Shahid Hamid, a

bureaucrat A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration of any organization of any size, although the term usually connotes someone within an institution of government. The term ''bureaucrat'' derives from "bureaucracy", wh ...

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 area. The station is owned by the University of Southern California (USC) and rebroadcasts the classical music for ...

(now ''

K-Electric K-Electric Limited (KE), formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited or Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited, is a Pakistani utility company based in Karachi. Privatised in 2005, KE is the only vertically integrated utili ...

''), 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 Pakistan Defense Officers Housing Authority (PDOHA), Karachi (), formerly Pakistan Defense Officers Cooperative Housing Society, is a residential neighbourhood or a housing society located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi. The total p ...

on the 5 July 1997. After arrest by the 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 estim ...

, Mirza was awarded

by the Anti-Terrorism Court on 24 May 1999. Since then, his family have filed

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

applications in two separate occasions: first in

Sindh High Court The High Court of Sindh () ( Sindhi: سنڌ ھائي ڪورٽ) 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 ...

in 2000 and in the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of Pakistan in 2002; all applications were rejected by the

apex court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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# ...

for

which was also rejected. After a death warrant was issued on 11 March 2015, the execution was set to be carried out in Central Jail Mach in

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 ...

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, also called news conference or press briefing, 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, corporat ...

, demanding a re-investigation. After releasing a confession

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

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 was launched by the

Pakistan government The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, cons ...

. After rejecting the second and final appeal for

Mirza was executed on 12 May 2015 at the supermax facility, the Central Jail Macch,

Early life and education

Saulat Mirza was born as Saulat Ali Khan 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 ...

and grew up in the rural

Malir Malir Town () is the Constituent Town of Karachi Malir District and lies in the northern part of the city that was named after the Malir River. History Administrative status 2000 The federal government introduced local government re ...

neighborhood in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

in 1971. In his interrogation process, he confirmed his

Urdu-speaking Native speakers of Urdu are spread across South Asia. The vast majority of them are Muslims of the Hindi Belt, Hindi–Urdu Belt of northern India, followed by the Deccanis, Deccani people of the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in south-central I ...

background and his

Yousafzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangl ...

Pathan Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

ancestry; his parents emigrated from what is now

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

at the time of the partition of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. 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 they work and is trained first and foremost in the duties ...

in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

, whereas his mother was a

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...

. He was the youngest of 11 siblings, consisting of six brothers and five sisters. 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 no ...

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 mostly in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med ...

degree but instead ended up getting intermediate diploma in

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

from Pakistan Shipowners College. He eventually graduated from the

BCom A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bach ...

from the business school of

Karachi University The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

. Years later, while in jail, he would complete a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

. It was during his college years that 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. In addition to education, student groups often play central roles in democratization and winning civil rights. Modern stu ...

. The APMSO is a student wing of then known as Mohajir Qaumi Movement later changed into Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). During these days Mirza was an avid fan of

Pakistan cricket team The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...

and often played

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

as well as

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

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

Political career and targeted killings

After joining the MQM and taking part in national politics, Mirza soon participated in illegal activities such as

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...

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 MQM 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

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 United States nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds United States nationality. In the United States, nationality is typically obtained through provisions in the U.S. Constitution, various laws, and international agree ...

of an American Oil Company in the city in 1994. However, the investigation later revealed Nadeem Commando, an accomplice of Mirza, was the main culprit; Nadeem was later killed in a

police encounter Encounter killings, often simply referred to as encounters, is a euphemism used in South Asia to refer to extrajudicial killings by security forces. The officers typically described the incidents as a shootout situation, often allegedly starting ...

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 illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

in 1995. Mirza reportedly fled the country in 1995 after

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

initiated a massive crackdown against MQM 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 chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Karachi Electric Supply Corporation K-Electric Limited (KE), formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited or Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited, is a Pakistani utility company based in Karachi. Privatised in 2005, KE is the only vertically integrated utili ...

(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 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

Sindh Police The Sindh Police (Urdu: , ), is a law enforcement agency established in 1843 under a proclamation issued by Sir Charles James Napier, who became the conqueror of the State of Sindh by defeating the forces of the Talpur rulers at the Battle of Mi ...

Ameen Qureshi. Mirza's wife later testified that he was in contact with Altaf Hussain just before arrest, though the MQM denied the charge. In May 1999, the Anti-Terrorist Court awarded him a

for the triple-murder case of MD of

Shahid Hamid, his driver Ashraf Brohi and guard Akbar Khan. In june 2018,he was transferred 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 () 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.

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 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 ...

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 People executed by Pakistan by hanging Pakistani people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Pakistan