n Tuesday, civil society activists and journalists gathered outside the National Press Club to protest the killing of Sabeen Mahmud, a social activist and director of The Second Floor (T2F) who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Karachi on April 24. Her death was widely condemned and ignited protests in which calls were made for holding an inquiry into the murder. Dawn spoke to some of the participants of the protest in Islamabad.Khawar Mumtaz, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Chairperson `It is strange that on one hand we are calling the terrorists, who kill children, cowards and on the other hand women are being killed. Sabeen Mahmud offered space for the seminar on Balochistan to take place and even this was not tolerated. This reflects the degree of intolerance in our society.

Mosharraf Zaidi Columnist and rights activist `Unless it is ensured that killers are punished, such crimes would not stop.

Unfortunately, we never find the killers in this country and even if they are found, they cannot be punished. Mumtaz Qadri became revered for assassinating Salman Taseer and convicted murderers such as Saulat Mirza would not be hanged as long as some people don`t want it. Even today the killers of RashidRehman, Saleem Shahzad, Parveen Rehman and the driver of Raza Rumi have not been traced.Ahsan Khan Chartered Accountant `The incident was an act of brutality. In the past, Hamid Mir and Raza Rumi were attacked in a similar way and now I believe things will change because a large number of people have begun protesting these acts. Sabeen Mahmud`s murderers must be identified. While Sabeen has been killed, her ideology cannot be killed.