Journalists getting threats from Atif Zaman: Mureed Abbas' wife

KARACHI: Journalists are being threatened by Atif Zaman and his brother to not cover court proceedings on my husband's murder, claimed Zara Abbas Kher, the wife of slain news anchor Mureed Abbas, on Wednesday. 

In a video message on Twitter, Zaara accused the prime suspect in her husband's murder case, Atif Zaman, and his family of issuing threats to journalists who are covering court hearings related to her husband's murder. 

"You must have seen how fresh the suspect looks when he attends court proceedings," she said. "He's smoking freely, he has a lighter and is given mineral water to drink as well," she added.

READ MORE: Mureed Abbas murder case and money laundering

Mureed Abbas, a news anchor affiliated with a private news channel, was killed along with his friend Khizar at a cafe on Khyaban-e-Bukhari commercial area.

The deceased's wife, who is also a TV anchor, said that her husband invested Rs5 million in Zaman's tyre business and was lately asking him to return his funds.

Zaara said that on November 2, a journalist was assaulted in the sessions court where proceedings related to Mureed Abbas's murder were being held. 

"A journalist's mobile phone was snatched and the videos he was making were forcibly deleted," she alleged. 

Zaara alleged that she was also being indirectly threatened by the suspect's family and lawyer in an attempt to coerce them into not covering the case. 

"He[Zaman] killed my husband and Khizer Hayat for demanding their own money," she said.  

Zaara called on journalists to attend the sessions court hearing tomorrow (Thursday) and not be afraid of Zaman. 

"The tyrant cannot win. We have to show him that God is there and that in this case, Zaman cannot blindfold the media," she said.