According to initial reports, the body was found in his car near Ilyas Goth, Ibrahim Haideri area of Karachi . The body has been shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College for further examination.
The JPMC head of emergency Seemi Jamali told media that there were no signs of torture on his body and he died of natural causes.
Hassan Zafar Arif , aged 75, was a professor of philosophy and had taught in number of universities around the country.
MQM-L leader Nadeem Nusrat condemns the death
Deputy-convener of MQM-L Nadeem Nusrat condemned the death of Dr Arif in a tweet. “Can’t believe Prof Sahab is no more! It’s definitely a targeted killing,” he wrote.MQM-P chief expresses grief and concerns over the body of Dr Hasan Zafar Arif being found in Karachi
Sattar said he received the shocking news of Dr Hasan Zafar Arif’s death when he landed in Multan. “I am grief-stricken by his martyrdom,” he said.
He termed the ‘murder’ a conspiracy to disrupt peace in Karachi. “We may have political differences [with Dr Arif] but we will not let any conspiracy against the city’s peace.”
“It is a horrifying situation, he has been martyred, murdered,” Sattar told media. “Despite our political differences, I and my party [MQM-P] stands with him.”
He demanded the provincial government and law enforcement agencies to find and punish the professor’s killers.
Interview with The Express Tribune
In an interview with The Express Tribune, Dr Arif had said that Marxists and communist parties across the world and throughout history have supported the ongoing democratic struggle to pave the way for a revolutionary change and saw MQM’s struggle as furthering democratic values.
The professor had said he used Marxism as a framework to evaluate his political steps. Every support he extends to the ‘bourgeois’ parties came only after he measured the probable consequences, and in each case the litmus test is the role of the party at that juncture in the advancement of the democratic cause.
The 75-year-old was professor of philosophy and has taught in a number of universities in Karachi. He has made significant contributions to progressive writings in Pakistan.
