Sahiwal, Pakistan – April 8, 2025
A recent assassination attempt on Faisal Riaz in Tehsil Sahiwal has once again drawn urgent attention to the decade-long campaign of sectarian and familial persecution targeting the Riaz family. Faisal, a resident of Sargodha, narrowly escaped an attempt on his life when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his vehicle near the Dhool Bala Adda Bypass. While the vehicle sustained serious bullet damage, Faisal and his associate Khalid Usman managed to escape unharmed.
This was not an isolated incident. The Riaz family has been the target of repeated attacks for more than ten years, as part of a prolonged and violent feud fueled by sectarian and caste-based animosity. These attacks have already claimed multiple lives, and credible intelligence suggests that remaining family members are still at risk, as efforts to eliminate them continue.
The origins of the conflict go back to 2003, when Kamran Riaz, Faisal’s elder brother, married outside their caste and religious sect. The union was met with hostility from extended relatives and triggered a wave of animosity. In 2011, Kamran was murdered at his home by assailants posing as utility workers. The attackers were allegedly associated with a banned extremist organization and included Kamran’s cousins: Irfan Hussain, Nosherwan Hussain, and Lugman.
The violence escalated further in 2012 with the targeted killing of Supreme Court Advocate Nasrullah Warraich, a close relative of the Riaz family and legal counsel pursuing Kamran’s murder case. Warraich was assassinated outside his home in Lahore. During a press conference held on July 26, 2012, DIG Investigation Lahore, Chaudhry Shafique, announced that the Organised Crime Wing of the CIA Lahore had arrested five contract killers: Umar Daraz, Zeeshanullah, Mohammad Shahbaz, Mohammad Bilal, and Mushtaq Ahmad. The men confessed to killing both Kamran and Nasrullah, allegedly under the direction of Irfan Hussain, who sought revenge for Warraich’s legal efforts.
Further investigation revealed that Irfan Hussain, along with Nosherwan Hussain and Iftikhar Ali, had fled to Dubai. Pakistani authorities have since initiated Interpol red notices to seek their extradition. These individuals are believed to be members of a proscribed extremist network that operates a large syndicate of hired assassins responsible for politically and sectarian-motivated killings throughout Pakistan.
Despite these revelations, justice remains elusive. The Riaz family continues to live under constant threat, with no reliable state protection and little progress in holding the masterminds accountable. The pattern of violence, political connections of the perpetrators, and lack of law enforcement action all reinforce the clear and present danger to Faisal Riaz and his surviving family.
