Guessing game is on about the broad daylight assassination of Khalid Shahanshah, the chief security officer of the PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, outside his Clifton residence last Tuesday.
Armed gunmen riding a white car bearing, what seemed like a government number plate, sprayed Shahanshah with a volley of bullets while he was stepping off his double-cabin vehicle. The incident immediately spewed forth speculations as to who the killer might be. A group of analysts believes that Shahanshah has been killed as he was one of the key witnesses of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Some PPP leaders also feel the same way that Shahanshah’s chapter has been closed because he knew “something startling” about the assassination of Ms Bhutto. Yet another section dubs his murder as a message to Zardari that if he does not dance to the establishment’s tune, he will have to pay the price just like his spouse did.
Though, it is premature to say something definitive about Shahanshah’s murder, an investigative report prepared by the Weekly Pulse team suggests there is more to it than meets the eye. Interviews with Shahanshah’s close friends and some family members reveal that he had never been a student leader as being portrayed by the PPP leadership. In fact, he had no affiliation with the PPP. Shahanshah’s story began from 1981, when he and his childhood friend Sohail Ahmed alias Saila allegedly started extorting money from traders and businessmen. Charged with extortion, the two friends went behind the bars for the first time in 1982. This was the beginning of Shahanshah’s contacts with the PPP leaders, who, at that time, frequented Karachi central prison for struggling against Zia’s martial law. Here he met with Sain Saifullah, a high-profile leader of People’s Students Federation (PSF), and Al-Zulfikar.
According to a close friend, Shahanshah had never been even a member of the PSF. In fact, he never went to any university, where he could be a student leader.  Shahanshah, who could not complete even his college education, also became a good friend of Syed Najmi Alam, a local PPP leader, and the elder brother of PSF’s strong man in Karachi, Najeeb Ahmed, who was later gunned down, allegedly by the Muttehida Quami Movement (MQM) workers in 1989 in North Nazimabad area. Najeeb, at that time, was the Karachi president of PSF, and through Najmi Alam, Shahanshah managed to establish good contacts with him. Najmi Alam has recently been posted as a representative of Sindh Local Bodies Minister for Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB).
Dubbed a brave man, Shahanshah, after getting released from the jail, became a mercenary. He fought pitched battles in various educational institutions along side different student groups. Interestingly, once in 1983, he was used by a students group to fight the PSF workers in Sindh Medical College.  In 1987, Shahanshah came into touch with a former underworld don, Shoaib Khan, who was poisoned in Karachi central prison a few years ago. Shahanshah and Shoiab, the “SS”, allegedly started taking part in ‘activities’ that went way beyond extortion. The same year, a local trader namely Niazi was killed allegedly by the SS in Saddar area over a recovery matter. Shoaib Khan was arrested in that case, however Shahanshah managed to flee.
In jail, Shoaib met with Aslam Natha, the then underworld don, and a famous film producer. Natha’s brother had been killed in a clash with his rival group in mid 80s. Natha was desperate to take revenge.  Shoaib Khan came to help him, and he got Natha’s nominated person killed by his men. In return, Natha handed over his rummy club located in Azizabad in 1989. Here, Shahanshah resurfaces to join Shoaib. The SS then actually started their journey to capture the underworld. In the second PPP stint i.e. 1988 to 1990, Shahanshah established contacts with Sallu, and Rufi, two top-notch PSF leaders, who were very close to Asif Zardari. Sallu and Rufi introduced Shahanshah to Zardari, and soon he became a close confidant to the then “first gentleman”. His close friends claim that Shahanshah had successfully accomplished various “personal tasks” assigned by Zardari, which gave him a special place within the PPP ranks, although he had never even been a party member. 
The year 1991 turned out to be a lucky year for the SS. They first eliminated the then underworld don, Aslam Natha, who actually gave them a boost by handing over his rummy club to them. The SS then took the control of bookies business, gambling, supply of wine, and nightclubs in Karachi.  Shahanshah totally stayed away from the PPP from 1990 to 1993. Soon after the dismissal of the PPP government, he crossed over into United States via Mexico border, and stayed there till the PPP came into power in February 1993. He was allotted a Sindh assembly ticket to contest from Azizabad in the elections, however he lost to an MQM candidate.  In the meantime, Shoiab appeared to be more wiser and lucky than Shahanshah as he established ties with the Indian underworld king, Dawood Ibrahim. Shoiab started working as a front man of Dawood in Pakistan. 
In 1994, Shahanshah opened a gambling den in Gharibabad area with the alleged help of Zardari. Sources say because of Zardari’s support, Shahanshah didn’t pay even a single penny to the area police as bribe till the ouster of the government in 1996. Shahanshah and Shoaib set up another rummy club at Hockey Club of Pakistan stadium the same year, which soon became the meeting point of the country’s top bookiies. Shahanshah’s best friend Saila was killed by Shoaib Khan’s men in 1996 in an internal fight of the underworld, however it could not propel him to react. The real differences between Shoaib and Shahanshah cropped up over the murder of Ibrahim Bholo, a common friend of the SS, and an important underworld figure in South Africa. Bholo was murdered by Shoiab, who reportedly owed him a huge amount he had borrowed as a loan. 
Shahanshah parted his ways with Shoaib over Bholo’s murder, and as a result had to go behind the bars courtesy of his former partner, who at that time had become an undisputed underworld don, especially due to his connections with Dawood Ibrahim. Later, Shoaib was poisoned in central jail Karachi in 2005 after he developed serious differences with then ruling party, Muttehida Qaumi Movement.  Shahanshah managed to get bail after six months, and moved to United States. He remained there till Benazir Bhutto returned to country on October 18, 2007 after promulgation of National Reconciliation Ordinance.
His friends say that Shahanshah once again associated himself with Zardari, when he moved to the States after his release in 2005. He worked as Zardari’s driver and bodyguard there. After the formation of the PPP government in the wake of February 18 elections, Shahanshah started to regain his lost position. The ground was virtually open for him to fill the post of underworld don lying vacant after the death of Shoaib Khan. He re-established his hockey stadium rummy club, and got hold of various other dens in different parts of the city. He was allegedly running a big gambling den in Bhangoria Ghot behind Azizabad till the day he was murdered.
About one-and-a-half months ago, a contingent of rangers cordoned off the hockey stadium rummy club, and “harassed” Shahanshah’s “customers”. As a result, the customers, mostly the bookies, stopped coming to the club. Shahanshah suspected Ejaz Ghas Mandiwala (grass market) of orchistrating the siege of his rummy club. Ghas Mandi has been a hotbed of hardcore criminals and paid killers, who have been operating from here for many years with full impunity. In retaliation, Shahanshah with the help of the area DSP, Rao Anwar, closed down the gambling den of Ejaz in Ghas Mandi, two weeks ago. The police arrested Ejaz Memon and his front man, Asst sub-inspector Waseem. Later, the police released ASI Waseem, but booked Ejaz for carrying 5 kg of charas.
A senior police officer told Weekly Pulse that a “real operation” in Ghas Mandi could rid the citizens of a number of hardcore criminals involved in killings, dacoities, and kidnapping for ransom. Sources say the CID police often arrest these criminals, but later release them after getting their palms greased.
Senior investigators agree that the involvement of underworld in assassination of Shahanshah cannot be ruled out as he was not the only contender for the coveted position of don. His friends say that during the last four months, Shahanshah made a number of new enemies rather than friends. And in the underworld, a king is not slapped but killed. Police confirm that the 45-year-old Shahanshah had been instrumental in the recent operation against gangsters in Lyari, a PPP stronghold in the south of Karachi.
No matter who killed Shahanshah who aspired to be the Shahanshah of underworld, but this is a bitter reality that the PPP leadership wont go beyond than issuing mere statements and won’t bother about an in-depth inquiry into Shahanshah’s murder just like it happened in the murder cases of Abdullah Murad, Munawwar Soharwardi, Najeeb Ahmed and others. In fact, those who had been nominated by the PPP leaders in the murder of Abdullah Murad and Najeeb Ahmed are sitting with them in the government. Now, one does not have to be genius to figure out the fate of Shahanshah’s murder case.