Muslim leader slain outside home
It's a hate crime: nephew: Family posts reward as B.C. Mounties hunt for a motive
Ian Bailey
National Post
Tuesday, January 07, 2003
CREDIT: Gerry Kahrmann, The Province
Ijaz Khan says his family is stunned by the murder of his uncle, 69-year-old Riasat Ali Khan. The spokesman for the Pakistan Canada Association in Vancouver was shot dead in front of his home in Surrey, B.C.
Riasat Ali Khan
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SURREY, B.C. - A prominent member of British Columbia's Pakistani Muslim community has been gunned down on the steps of his home in this Vancouver suburb, leaving police stumped by a lack of suspects or a possible motive, and his family horrified by the inexplicable crime.
The mysterious shooting killed 69-year-old Riasat Ali Khan, founder of Western Canada's first mosque, opened in Vancouver in 1963. Mr. Khan, a former corrections and probation officer, was also a president of the Vancouver Multicultural Society and a spokesman for the Pakistan Canada Association in Vancouver.
Yesterday, members of Mr. Khan's family gathered at his home, grappling with their grief as police launched an investigation into the killing in this sprawling community southeast of central Vancouver.
Mr. Khan's nephew, Ijaz, struggled against tears as he showed a reporter how his beloved uncle walked from his silver Impala --still parked in the driveway -- toward the front door at about 11 p.m. on Sunday.
Someone apparently came up behind Mr. Khan -- the father of six -- and shot him as he walked, leaving his bullet-riddled body on the porch of the salmon-coloured home in a quiet, residential neighbourhood. Family members inside heard a scream.
RCMP say witnesses saw a vehicle, described as a mid-'80s, blue pickup with tinted windows, speeding from the scene of the crime. Police responded to a barrage of 911 calls that came from the neighbourhood following the shooting.
"We are completely baffled by this," Ijaz Khan said yesterday, standing on the driveway of the home.
"The family is absolutely stunned. We're all in shock," he said. "It's something we can't believe, can't fathom."
He said the crime seemed to be a deliberate hate crime against Mr. Khan, a Muslim.
"We're all racking our brains and coming up with nothing," he said.
Both Mr. Khan and RCMP Constable Tim Shields said the elder Mr. Khan had no enemies or troubles that could explain his slaying.
"We're not aware of any threats that have been made against him, and at this time we have no motive," Const. Shields told a news conference.
He refused to say what type of gun was used, how many shots were fired or if Mr. Khan was able to provide any clues to police before he died in hospital within hours of the shooting.
Mr. Khan said there were a pair of drive-by shootings in the area the previous night, but they were not thought to be related to his uncle's death.
Mr. Khan's family swiftly put up a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his killers and his nephew suggested the family might be willing to provide more money to help find the "coward" who killed his uncle.
The younger Mr. Khan doubted his uncle's career in Corrections might be relevant, suggesting it had been many years since he worked in the field.
Ijaz Khan said he was at home in Seattle on Sunday night when he heard his mother weeping at news she had received by telephone.
"All she said was that something had happened to my uncle," he said, recalling that he drove directly to Surrey to be with the family and act as a spokesman in the stead of his father, who had just left for a trip to Pakistan.
The elder Mr. Khan was born in India and moved to Pakistan at age 14. He moved to Canada in 1949.
In addition to his work in corrections and community service, he had diverse business interests in logging, real estate, insurance and other areas.
"He will always be remembered as a caring and kind gentlemen who loved his family and his friends," his nephew said.
ibailey@nationalpost.com
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