Background
Riaz Basra was born to Ghulam Muhammad and Jalal Bibi in Chak Chah Thandiwala, Sargodha, in 1967.
Riaz Basra was born to Ghulam Muhammad and Jalal Bibi in Chak Chah Thandiwala, Sargodha, in 1967.
Basra allegedly fought in the Afghan War on the mujahideen side, receiving a bullet wound in the legal He was arrested in 1992 and sentenced to death for killing Ganji, but escaped from prison in 1994. Basra was also alleged to be involved in killing the Imamia Students Organization leader Doctor Muhammad Ali Naqvi in 1995, Sargodha commissioner Syed Tajammal Abbas in 1996, and in killing Gujranwala SSP Muhammad Ashraf Marth in 1997.
On one occasion, Basra is believed to have coerced the Punjab Chief Minister into easing police pressure on his group.
He had demonstrated his ability to penetrate the Master in Surgery"s security by having himself photographed with the Master in Surgery without his knowledge. On another occasion, he had got himself photographed with Nawaz Sharif in a similar fashion, and sent the photo to Sharif"s office.
Basra had a bounty of Rs. According to one report, a special police brigade arrived to support a half-hour later, ending the fight, during which all four Lashkar-e-Jhangvi members were killed.
Doubts have been expressed about this version of events because Basra was reported to be in police custody at the time of this shootout and hardly anyone believes this account to be true.
However, Pakistan"s then Information Minister Nisar Memon denied any foul-play. Basra was buried in his home village of Khurhseed, near Jhawarian outside of Sargodha. His funeral was attended by 5,000 people.
Though police presence prevented SSP and LeJ leadership from participating, Basra"s body was wrapped in the LeJ flag.
He studied at madrassas in Lahore and Sargodha before joining the political party Sipah-e-Sahaba in 1985.
