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Stephen H. Kawamoto

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Jun 28, 2002, 9:39:05 AM6/28/02

WHO MURDERED OMAR ASGHAR KHAN?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/1410
IT Editorial - Washington DC, USA - Thursday, June 27, 2002

INFORMATION TIMES EDITORIAL: Omar Asghar Khan, Pakistan's former federal
Minister for Environment, Local Government, Rural Development, Labor,
Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, was murdered by his enemies in
Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday (Monday night), June 25, 2002, according
to several news reports published in the Pakistani daily newspapers and
websites of international news media services. Khan's dead body was
reportedly found hanging from a ceiling fan of a bedroom on Tuesday
morning in the Karachi home of his brother-in-law.

Ironically, the corrupt, tyrannical and political Sindh Police officials
have done their job by illegally and fraudulently labeling the brutal
murder of Omar Asghar Khan as a suicide. Omar Asghar Khan, a great,
gifted and talented social reformer, deeply cared for the Pakistani
Nation, always worked to implement real reforms and dedicated his
precious life for the progress and prosperity of the poor, downtrodden
and oppressed people of Pakistan. The Sindh Police and the junta of
military dictator General Pervez Musharraf have no right to call murder
a suicide.

In its news story, headlined "Pakistani Minister Suicide Questioned,"
dated June 26, 2002, the BBC has reported that Naim Sarwar Khan, a
spokesman for the Omar Asghar Khan family, told BBC that "there were
signs that Mr. Khan's hands had been tied up, and one leg was still
supported on a chair when he was found."

The BBC news report also points out: "A spokesman for the family, Naim
Sarwar Khan, told the BBC that the state of Mr. Khan's body when it was
found did not support the theory that he killed himself. He also said
the family were not sure that a suicide note purported to have been
written by Mr. Khan before he died was in his writing. He also said the
family knew of no reason why he would want to take his own life." Omar's
brother, Ali Asghar Khan, recently informed the Pakistani and
international press that Omar Asghar Khan had received several death
threats. "I reject projected hypothesis of suicide," said Dr. Zafar
Mirza, Secretary-General of Omar's political party. "No one in the whole
country is ready to admit it a suicide, it is a murder."

Unfortunately, there is no independent judiciary and no real police in
Pakistan. There is no criminal justice system in the country of 140
million citizens. There is no law & order, no rule of just & fair laws,
and no equal justice for all in the so-called land of the pure. In fact,
there is no democratic or constitutional government in Pakistan which
can be held accountable by the people in a genuine court of law for
refusing to register a criminal case against the barbaric murderers of
Omar Asghar Khan. Therefore, the National Democratic Party (NDP) and the
SUNGI Development Foundation, which were led by Omar Asghar Khan, and
investigative journalists, citizens groups and all NGOs, who were
associated with Omar, should investigate this heinous crime to tell the
people who murdered Omar Asghar Khan and to bring the evil killers of
Pakistan's legendary reformer to justice.

==================================================

Omar Asghar Khan Urges NGOs To Develop Pakistan - by Syed Adeeb
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/27

Omar Asghar Khan Found Dead - It's "Suicide": Police; It's Murder:
Family
Security of Pakistani Ministers Increased
http://www.balochistanpost.com/item.asp?ID=2274
"Although Omar Asghar Khan never acknowledged that he had resigned from
the cabinet of General [Pervez] Musharraf because of differences with
Musharraf, the fact that the NAB [illegal and unconstitutional National
Accountability Bureau] was asked by the self-appointed President to find
stuff against Omar Asghar Khan indicates that his relations with the
military government were strained."--(The Balochistan Post, Thursday,
June 27, 2002.)
http://www.balochistanpost.com/item.asp?ID=2274

Pakistani Minister Suicide Questioned
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_2068000/2068373
.stm
"The [Omar Asghar Khan] family spokesman [Naim Sarwar Khan] said there
were signs that Mr. Khan's hands had been tied up, and one leg was still
supported on a chair when he was found [dead in his brother-in-law's
home in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday, June 25, 2002]."--(BBC).

People Will Prevail - by Omar Asghar Khan
http://lists.isb.sdnpk.org/pipermail/cyberclub-old/1999-August/000716.ht
ml

When Women Speak Out - by Omar Asghar Khan
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/WspeakOUT.html

Biography of Omar Asghar Khan
http://www.pakwatan.com/main/government/mprofile_omer.php3

==================================================

The News International - Editorial - Thursday, June 27, 2002 - Pakistan
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2002-daily/27-06-2002/oped/editorial.htm#2

OMAR ASGHAR KHAN

The death of any person is sad but much more of a man who had committed
his life to serving the poor and the voiceless at a time when others as
well qualified and talented would be building their careers. This can be
said of Omar Asghar Khan whose tragic demise comes at the prime of his
life when he had much to do in the vast field of service to humanity he
had chosen for himself. He belonged to a new breed of young
professionals, men and women, who had directed their expertise and
energies to bringing hope to millions who were impoverished, victims of
injustice and unjust laws and those who needed help. Whether it was
through the medium of NGOs and other such organisations or their own
efforts they served a purpose in a state which was still unable to meet
the needs of the vast majority.

Omar Asghar began young on the path of serving the society and succeeded
in setting up Sungi, a non-governmental organisation, which covered a
vast spectrum of services in the Hazara division in NWFP. These included
among other tasks improving the quality of life of the people in the
villages, environmental conservation, saving the vast depleting forest
wealth and protecting the interests of the thousands who were displaced
and rendered homeless by the Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha projects. He was
also an active participant in a variety of movements for causes that
impacted on the lives of the people and the country. His death will
deprive Pakistan of a promising leader who was bringing with him not
only expertise and experience but also much needed integrity of
character.

But while his unexpected demise will be deeply mourned by his family and
the large number of friends and colleagues, the authorities need to hold
an inquiry into the circumstances of his death, which are still
confusing. Although the police has declared it as suicide and offered a
note written by Omar Asghar to support its contention, his relatives and
associates reportedly contest the claim. They know him better and
understandably cannot accept a view that does not reconcile with what
they know of Omar Asghar. It is unfortunate that such a controversy has
erupted adding to the sorrow of the grieving family. The police, keeping
in view the sensitiveness of the issue, should have exercised greater
care in probing the incident before going public. The government owes it
to the family and the public to clear up the mystery and remove doubts
to end all kinds of uncalled for speculation.

==================================================

DAWN - Editorial - Thursday, June 27, 2002 - Pakistan
http://www.dawn.com/2002/06/27/ed.htm

A TRAGIC LOSS

The death in mysterious circumstances of former minister Omar Asghar
Khan represents a tragic loss to the nation. His death in the prime of
his life has deprived the country of a promising young politician of a
new breed. Educated, articulate and socially committed, Omar Asghar's
route to politics was radically different from that of most other
entrants to the field. Despite being the son of Air Marshal (retd.)
Asghar Khan, a politician known for his integrity, Omar Asghar broke
with tradition and decided to engage in development activity to reach
the people rather than benefiting from his father's political legacy.
Through his NGO, Sungi, he worked for many years at the grassroots level
with dedication, mainly in the Hazara division of the NWFP. While labour
relations were his speciality, Omar Asghar was also a passionate
advocate of women's empowerment, protection of forests and the rights of
people displaced by development projects, particularly the Tarbela Dam.

When he was chosen by General Musharraf to become a federal minister,
many of his colleagues in the NGO movement were unhappy about his
decision to become part of a military government. However, Omar defended
the decision and often spoke out strongly in cabinet meetings in support
of the causes he espoused. A passionate advocate of devolution, Omar had
the arduous task of steering the process through while in government.
His decision to leave the cabinet and form his own party seemed to mark
the beginning of a new phase in his life and career - which, alas, was
to prove tragically short-lived. What drove Omar Asghar to commit
suicide, at a time when a promising career lay ahead of him, remains a
deep mystery. The government must conduct a thorough inquiry into the
circumstances of his death to ensure that it was not the result of any
foul play. His death has not only cut short a career full of promise but
has also deprived the country of an ardent advocate of a new kind of
politics.

==================================================

Pakistan Observer - Editorial - Thursday, June 27, 2002 - Pakistan
http://www.pakobserver.net/june2002/27/editorial01.shtml

DEATH OF A GENTLEMAN

OMER Asghar Khan, former Federal Minister for Labour and Local
Government, was found hanging in his room at the house of his
brother-in-law in Karachi Tuesday morning. Police said that he committed
suicide, while his family sees no reason for him to do so. Some suspect
foul play and term his death as murder. However, a chit recovered from
the scene, reportedly written in the deceased handwriting, said that he
himself has taken his life.

Omer's death has undoubtedly shocked the whole nation. He was too young
to die at his age. The circumstances of his demise are obviously
mysterious and raise many questions, which will hopefully be answered
through a thorough probe into his demise. Police has termed his death as
a suicide, but to us the pronouncement is somewhat hasty pending
complete autopsy report. Omer's father Air Marshal (Retd) Asghar Khan
has disagreed with the Police claim and has said that his son was not
the type who commit suicide. Omer was having no psychological pressure
or any other tension to take such an extreme step of committing suicide,
he asserted. The investigation into his death will hopefully be
completed expeditiously to bring the truth to the fore.

Omer was a man of vision and commitment. He resigned his Cabinet post in
[self-appointed] 'President' Pervez Musharraf's Government to form his
own political party (Qaumi Jamhoori Party [National Democratic Party])
to contest the forthcoming general elections. He commanded respect and
goodwill of his colleagues in the Cabinet for his steadfast and upright
views on various national issues. He had done spadework in connection
with the Government's Local Bodies plan. Omer came to limelight when
late Gen. Zia ul Haq ousted him from his teaching post in the Punjab
University. He later established NGO to undertake community-based health
care, forest protection, sustainable agriculture, women empowerment and
resettlement of displaced persons. He earned public eulogy for his NGO's
services in these fields. His untimely death has sent a wave of shock ac
ross the country. He will be long remembered as a clean, devoted, hard
working man with clarity of mind and thought. We express our heartfelt
sympathies to Air Marshal (retd.) Asghar Khan and other members of his
family for their tragic loss and pray for eternal rest to the departed
soul.

==================================================

The Frontier Post - Editorial - Thursday, June 27, 2002 - Pakistan
http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/editorials.asp?id=1&date1=6/27/2002

MYSTERIOUS DEATH

The shocking death of Omar Asghar Khan in the most mysterious
circumstances is hard to unravel on a mere suicide claim. The
explanation is too simplistic to wash, keeping in view his pleasing
personal traits, happy family life and tempests-free career. His family
has instantly contested the [police] claim. And rightly so. He was not
the sort of a person prone to such an unnatural act.

Temperamentally, he was a calm, quite, tolerant and accommodative
person, not known for tantrums. Those who know him intimately never
heard him ever raising his voice even in the most provocative or
difficult situations. His family and friends contend he had no personal
enmity, family feud or property dispute either. Nor had he any
antagonistic, bitter rivalries.

He made his debut in practical life as an academician in the Punjab
University where he is not remembered for any confrontational campus
politics. When he switched over to the domain of the NGOs, there too he
won only more friends for his social welfare work at home and accolades
internationally. Even during his tenure as federal minister with this
military government, he was never noticed for flaunting his power and
official position arrogantly or aggressively. He went by the book.

After leaving the government for active politics, he was mostly
preoccupied with his recently-launched Qaumi Jamhoori Party's
reorganisation to prepare it for the coming general elections. He was
not embroiled in any sort of vindictive party politics.

So, what was it? Was his death a suicide? Or was there any foul play?
Was he drugged and then hung on to the fan? Only the postmortem report
would tell. And if some conspiracy is discovered, only a thorough,
surgical investigation would reveal if there were some personal motives
underlying his murder or if it was a politically motivated plot.

Relevantly, the deceased was in Karachi in connection with the
organisation of his party for the hustings. For the past two days, he
was meeting his party office bearers and activists. On the day his dead
body was discovered hanging from the fan, he was scheduled to record a
TV interview in the morning. During all his meetings and other public
activities, he gave out no indications if at all his life was under
threat. He was keeping to his schedule of engagements unhesitatingly and
uninterruptedly.

But he was in the city at a time when it is still reeling from some of
the bloodiest terrorist acts, strongly suspected to have been
perpetrated by the remnants of the Al-Qaeda and their sympathisers here.
As the events in the country as well as abroad have established in
recent days, this outfit of terrorists is still very much alive and
kicking.

And [self-appointed] 'President' Musharraf together with his government
is very much on their hit list for his role in the international
coalition's 'war on global terrorism'. They want to destabilise him, his
government and this country. They, too, would be very keen to send a
message to his government through such a high-profile murder that they
are a step ahead of his drive to weed out extremism and terrorism from
the country.

In any case, all such thoughts should stay in the realm of conjectures
until the postmortem report, its conclusions and subsequent
investigation. But all possibilities must be probed thoroughly, if some
foul play is established in this murder. In that eventuality,
identification of real culprits would be of essence so as to plug the
holes in the government's strategy in combating crime as well as
terrorism.

==================================================

The Nation - Editorial - Thursday, June 27, 2002 - Pakistan
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/today/editor/editor.htm

OMAR ASGHAR KHAN

THE events surrounding the death of former Federal Minister, Omar Asghar
Khan, are indeed tragic but the family grief is no doubt compounded by
the controversy being whipped up by contradictory and highly speculative
explanations emanating from various sources. This confusion could have
been avoided and his family spared the additional trauma, if the Sindh
Police had promptly provided an authoritative version of events, to be
followed by the findings of an autopsy. This is the least one expects
from a police bureaucracy given our media exposure on how such issues
are being handled in other countries.

The wider tragedy here is that the late Omar Asghar Khan was a breakaway
from the mainstream political tradition. After a short stint in the
army, he embellished himself academically, graduating from Essex
University and getting an M.Phil in Economics from Cambridge University.
His career choice as lecturer on Economics at Punjab University was cut
short by his sacking as part of the neo-McCarthyist tendencies of the
time. However, his commitment to promoting community-based development
continued through newspaper articles and later through the highly
successful multi-sectoral community-based programme implemented in the
Northern Areas and NWFP by SUNGI, an NGO he founded in the 1990s. His
was a role-model path to parliamentary politics, the only commonality
with other rising politicians being the dynastical aspect, his father,
Air Marshal Asghar Khan being a veteran politician. However, his 1988
and 1990 runs for the National Assembly were not very impressive, and he
may have lacked enough of the common touch.

Unfortunately, it did seem in the later part of his stint in Islamabad
that the late Omar Asghar Khan's principled politics and educated
approach did not gel with the prevalent political culture. Even as a
Minister incharge of Local Bodies, he remained an Islamabad outsider
which explains his resignation in December 2001 and his desire to start
afresh as the President of Qaumi Jamhori Party, founded by him early
this year. That continued effort to contribute his best is what makes
the late Omar Asghar Khan's death a considerable loss, one which his
family and colleagues we hope, will have the strength to bear. May his
soul rest in eternal peace.

==================================================

Business Recorder - Editorial - Thursday, June 27, 2002 - Pakistan
http://www.businessrecorder.com

AN IRREPARABLE LOSS

Unpredictable though the time and circumstances of the exit of human
mortals from this world happen to be, its inevitability can often become
more shocking, as has been in the case of the mysterious death of Omar
Asghar Khan, the young and dynamic President of National Democratic
Party.

The widely felt sense of shock and grief over his departure will appear
to have been all the more aggravated from popular perception of
incredibility of its timing and apparent cause. For according to
reports, he ended his life by committing suicide in Karachi, far away
from his home in Abbottabad, at a time when, from all available
indications, he was single-mindedly busy in preparing his newly formed
party for the forthcoming general election. Son of Tehrik-e-Istiqlal
founder Air Marshal Asghar Khan (retired), Omar remained temporarily
associated with the Tehrik before pursuing a path he was destined to
tread in his own light with a dominant sense of service to the deprived
sections of the population.

Hitting the headlines with his ouster from the Economics Department of
the Punjab University during the Zia years, his passion for social
service led to formation of an intellectual forum that understandably
invited the wrath of the then government.

Undaunted by the setback and more determined to continue with his
mission, he turned to purposeful social welfare activities, with a
pronounced thrust on service to the deprived and the deserving through
Sungi, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) he set up for the purpose.
Devoted to community-based health care, forest protection, sustainable
agriculture, women empowerment and resettlement of displaced persons, it
soon earned wide acclaim for its performance, with growing appreciation
from foreign donor agencies. Little wonder, Sungi won the 1996 United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific Award for its
outstanding performance in human resource development. Omar Asghar Khan
is also credited with the idea of NGO joint ventures with the government
and donor agencies that saw emergence of a chain of small NGOs in a
number of villages in Hazara district.

It was the harmonious blend of social service and political motivation
that seems to have influenced his selection as Minister for Manpower,
Labour and Overseas Pakistanis in [self-appointed] 'President' General
Pervez Musharraf's government for a little over two years. Later,
apparently driven by his inner, powerful urge for still greater service
to the people, he left the government and set up his own party.

It was in connection with its reorganisation, with an eye on the October
elections that he had been conferring with his party colleagues in
Karachi when the angel of death caught him by. Although his death
evidently remains a mystery, the vacuum it has created will continue to
haunt many for long years to come from the sense of irreparable loss in
the realm of national politics.

==================================================

OMAR'S DEATH MYSTERIOUS, SUICIDE IMPOSSIBLE, SAYS BROTHER
http://www.nni-news.com

ABBOTABAD, Pakistan, June 27, 2002 (NNI): The younger brother of [Omar
Asghar Khan] deceased former federal minister, Ali Asghar Khan, has
rejected the official stance on mysterious death of his brother which
termed it a suicide.

In a written statement here on Wednesday he said that there was no
justification of Omar Asghar Khan's suicide because he was leading quite
a normal life. Moreover, the condition of his body also raises many
questions as his hands were tightened behind and one of his foot was on
a revolving chair.

He also referred to the schedule and engagements of his brother in which
no unusual thing could be observed. He said that the deceased talked on
telephone to his family at night and promised to bring the books for his
children and asked about the market and shops where those books could be
available. According to Ali, the deceased also confirmed the dates and
engagements for the next week.

Ali Asghar Khan unveiled that his brother was receiving continuous
threats from unknown persons but he worked with full dedication for the
progress of country.

He requested the government to review the whole circumstances while
investigating this case. "I hope the government would make public the
real investigation of my brother's death," he said.

Meanwhile, the central Secretary-General of Qaumi Jamhuri Party (QJP),
Doctor Zafar Mirza, has alleged that his leader Omar Asghar Khan
suffered a silence killing and his murder was an organized crime: "I
reject projected hypothesis of suicide."

Addressing a press conference at the residence of Air Marshal (R) Asghar
Khan, Dr. Mirza accused Sind Police of making hasty decision on autopsy
and other reports. Moreover, PTV also contradicted the matter by
telecasting different news in its different bulletins.

"No one in the whole country is ready to admit it a suicide, it is a
murder," added QJP Secretary-General emphatically.

He demanded the Musharraf regime must constitute an inquiry committee
comprising the impartial judges of the Sindh High Court to probe into
the matter [murder] and bring out the facts.

He also paid tributes to the deceased leader and said that his services
for the country and party were very apparent and he struggled for the
rights of deprived segments of the society.--(NNI).

==================================================

INTERNET-WEB LINKS:

Special News-Views-Ideas-Info
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/links

WHO MURDERED OMAR ASGHAR KHAN?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/1410

Omar Asghar Khan Urges NGOs To Develop Pakistan - by Syed Adeeb
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/27

People Will Prevail - by Omar Asghar Khan
http://lists.isb.sdnpk.org/pipermail/cyberclub-old/1999-August/000716.ht
ml

When Women Speak Out - by Omar Asghar Khan
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/WspeakOUT.html

Biography of Omar Asghar Khan
http://www.pakwatan.com/main/government/mprofile_omer.php3

Kalabagh: Harbinger of Prosperity or Agent of Doom? - by Omar Asghar
Khan
http://www.binoria.org/albineng/july98/kalabagh.html

Ecological Crisis Prevention - by Omar Asghar Khan
http://www.dawn.com/2001/05/11/op.htm

Omar's Family Rejects Suicide Story, Wants Probe
http://www.paknews.com/flash.php?id=2&date1=2002-06-27
- Omar Asghar Khan Laid to Rest
http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=10&date1=2002-06-27
- Mystery Shrouds Chemical Test of Omar Asghar Khan
http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=3&date1=2002-06-27
- Omar Asghar Khan Found Dead
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_26-6-2002_pg1_4
- Omar a Patriot, Not Questioned by NAB: Spokesman
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-6-2002_pg1_7
- Omar Laid to Rest - Brother Says Omar Received Several Death Threats
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-6-2002_pg7_5

SUNGI Development Foundation (Pakistan)
http://sungi.sdnpk.org
- The Work of Sungi Development Foundation - A Case Study
http://www.escap-hrd.org/resources/award/awdsungi.htm
- Sungi Development Foundation - Report
http://www.unescap.org/drpad/vc/conference/ex_pk_6_sdf.htm
- Full Analysis of the Sungi Development Foundation, Pakistan
http://www.unescap.org/drpad/vc/conference/fl_pk_6_sdf.htm

==================================================

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