Ten more slain as target killings continue

Karachi
Another 10 people lost their lives to the guns of target killers on Monday as there was no let up in the ongoing wave of violence that terrorised several parts of the city.

Those murdered included activists and workers of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), while a doctor as well as a faith healer also fell victim to various attacks.

Thirty-seven-year-old Qari Irfan, an activist of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, was shot dead by two gunmen on a motorcycle in Sector 5-B/2 of New Karachi when he was heading towards the shop where he worked as a motor electrician. The incident took place just after he had finished offering his Maghrib prayers.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Tahir Khan of the Ajmer Nagri Division said that the victim was attacked just a short distance away from the mosque. The injured man was moved to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), where he breathed his last. Irfan had been shot multiple times in the upper torso.

Investigators said this was a targeted attack and confirmed that the victim was a worker of the ASWJ. Later, tension developed in the area as activists and leaders of the ASWJ launched a protest and accused a rival group for the murder.

In another attack, ASWJ activist Mohammad Farooq, believed to be in his early forties, was shot dead at a tyre shop near the Naz Bakery in the Gulshan police limits, while his friend Mohammad Ismail suffered bullet wounds.

SDPO Farhat Kamal of Gulshan said that the victim, a Quran teacher, was visiting his friend Mohammad Ismail’s tyre shop when two armed motorcyclists arrived at the scene and opened fire at both men. Ismail was shot in the arm, while Farooq tried to make a run for it. However, the killers shot him in the head as he was trying to escape and finished him off with a bullet to the chest.

MQM man killed

Meanwhile, over in the Orangi Town area, a 35-year-old worker of the MQM, Mohammad Shamshad, was murdered in the Bangla Bazaar.

SDPO Waheed Khan of Pakistan Bazaar said that the victim resided in the same area and was gunned down outside his house by two motorcyclists who fled from the scene.

He was rushed to the ASH by locals and died during treatment. Shamshad suffered multiple bullet wounds to the chest and the police also found the empty bullet casings of a pistol, which were sent to the Sindh Police Laboratory for forensic tests.

Investigators confirmed that Shamshad was a worker of the MQM and added that he was murdered in a targeted attack.

Doctor murdered

In a separate case, Dr Nisaar Memon, 45, was shot dead in the Kalakot police limits.

The doctor was at his clinic on the Sheedi Village Road when a gunman entered the premises and asked the compounder to direct them to the office. Subsequently, the murderer walked into Dr Memon’s clinic and shot him twice on the head. He was moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where he died.

Station House Officer (SHO) Jawed Baloch of the Kalakot police station said Dr Memon was a resident of Phase-IV, DHA, and owned the Mohammad Ali Shah Clinic situated on the Sheedi Village Road. He was also a surgeon at the Lyari General Hospital.

Investigators said that the murder of Dr Memon was a target killing, but added that other motives would also be investigated. The deceased hailed from Khairpur in Sindh.

Faith healer shot dead

In an unrelated incident in the Saeedabad area, a 45-year-old faith healer, identified as Zain Bengali, was shot dead while he was at his Astana in the hills of Yousuf Goth in Baldia Town.

SDPO Ahmed Baig of the Baldia Division said the gunmen barged into the place and shot him four times in the chest before fleeing the scene. The victim was pronounced dead on arrival at the ASH.

Bengali was murdered in a targeted attack, said the investigators. A case was reported and investigations were underway.

Sectarian attack

Twenty-year-old Gulzaar Hussain was shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles near the Lal Shahbaz Chowk.

SHO Sabir Khan of the Iqbal Market police station said Gulzar was a resident of Gali-24 in Lal Shahbaz Nagar and left his house late on Sunday night/Monday morning for some work when the assailants ambushed him and opened fire. The gunmen sped away on their bikes after pumping three bullets into the body of their victim and leaving him in a critical condition.

Hussain’s family informed the police that he left home at 12:00am and they were informed of his death at around 2:00am. The family stated that they had no form of animosity towards anyone, while the police believed that Hussain’s murder was of a sectarian nature. However, they added it was too early to confirm the motive.

Rickshaw driver killed

Also on Monday, a rickshaw driver named Basheer was murdered near the Ghaziabad Chowk in the Pakistan Bazaar police limits.

The victim was sitting inside his vehicle when armed men shot him three times in the head and chest before fleeing. He was a resident of Shah Faisal Colony.

Two killed in Memon Goth

In yet another incident, Abdul Shakoor and his

son-in-law Deen Mohammed were shot dead, while 11-year-old Obaid was injured when they were fired upon at a garage in the Memon Goth City.

Shakoor drove a rickshaw to make a living and was getting his vehicle fixed when armed motorcyclists arrived at the garage and opened fire.

He was a resident of Memon Goth, while his son-in-law lived in Jam Goth.

All three of the injured were moved to the ASH, where Shakoor and Deen Mohammed died, while Obaid remained in a critical condition.

Shakoor had suffered four bullet wounds, while Deen Mohammed was shot three times. Eleven-year-old Obaid, a worker at the garage and a resident of the same area, suffered a single bullet to the chest.

Investigators said this attack also seemed to be a targeted one.

Funeral procession

Two passers-by were injured when unidentified miscreants started firing in the air near the Water Pump Chowrangi as a funeral procession was returning after burying one of the people murdered in Sunday’s target killings.

Further trouble was witnessed in the area after the injuries to the passers-by as two groups got involved in a shootout.

The criminals also torched two of the funeral buses in the area and the police as well as the Rangers had to be called in. After facing hours of resistance, the law enforcers finally managed to control the situation.

Cracker attack

Late on Monday night, unidentified criminals lobbed a cracker at a vehicle and the low intensity explosion resulted in injuries to a man named Abbas near the Sohrab Goth bus stand.

SHO Fasih Zaman of the Sohrab Goth police station said that the vehicle of

Abbas was parked at the Daewoo Bus Terminal when it was attacked late on Monday night.

The owner was sitting inside the car, but he escaped without injury due to the fact that the cracker was of low intensity.

The officer added it was too early to confirm the motive.

Posted in: Karachi News