10 more killed as violence escalates | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

10 more killed as violence escalates

By: Kamran Mansoor

Karachi: A former sector in-charge of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement – Haqiqi (MQM-H) was among the ten people murdered in different incidents across the city as target killings continued, despite repeated promises from senior officials that the violence would be curbed during the month of Ramazan.

Thirty-five-year-old Athar Khan alias Topi was shot dead when six armed men on three motorcycles ambushed his bike near the Bismillah Taqi Hospital situated in the Karachi Administration Cooperative Housing Society (KACHS).

Locals informed the police, who reached the spot and shifted the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for legal formalities. There, a medico-legal officer (MLO) said that Khan had been shot seven times.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Bahadurabad told The News that victim was a former Sector Incharge of MQM Haqiqi’s PIB Colony sector and resided in the Sherpao Colony of Landhi. He believed that the man was murdered in a targeted attack.

MQM supporters killed

The Garden police witnessed its fair share of violence on Thursday as four people were shot dead in their jurisdiction.

In one attack, 35-year-old Saleem Punjabi was shot dead when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire at him near the Shoe Market in Bagh-e-Hilal, while he was headed to complete some work.

SDPO Garden Mushtaq Tanoli said that the victim, whose body was shifted to the Civil Hospital, maintained close ties with Lyari gangster Asif Niazi. He said that Saleem lived in the Dobhi Gaath area and was killed in a targeted attack.

Also in Garden, 18-year-old Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) supporter Umair was gunned down by unidentified motorcyclists between Faisal Masjid and Al-Aziz Heights, while he was going for Maghrib prayers. The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital for a postmortem. SDPO Garden confirmed that the victim was a supporter of the MQM and the officer believed that he was killed in a targeted attack.

In yet another incident in the same police jurisdiction, 35-year-old Jaffer and his 40-year-old friend, Zahid, were sprayed with bullets by four armed men on two motorcycles at a local hotel near the Badshahi Road situated in Usmanabad.

The assailants fled after leaving the victims lying in a pool of blood.

The intense firing caused customers to dive under tables in a bid to save their lives.

The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital in a critical condition; however, both breathed their last during treatment. An MLO said that deceased suffered six bullets each to their bodies.

SDPO Garden Mufakir Aadeel told The News that both victims were Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) supporters and were specifically targeted.

The police recovered the empty shells of a Kalashnikov from the crime scene.

Body found

The tortured and bullet-riddled body of an unidentified 25-year-old man was found packed in a gunny bag in Soldier Bazaar No-2.

A passerby informed that Soldier Bazaar police, who reached the spot and opened the bag to find that the victim’s hands and legs had been tied with a piece of rope. The law enforcers took the corpse to the Civil Hospital for legal formalities.

An MLO said that the body showed signs of torture and the victim had been shot twice.

Elderly man killed

Sixty-year-old Abdul Jabbar’s tortured and bullet-riddled body was found from an empty house situated in the Mir Muhammad Goth in the Mangopir police jurisdiction.

The locals smelled a stench coming from the house and informed the police, who took the body to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

An MLO of the medical facility said that the body was at least 15-days-old and was shot twice. The police believed that the victim was killed due to a personal enmity.

Woman tortured and shot

Meanwhile, in the Banaras Chowk area, the bullet-riddled body of an unidentified 35-year-old woman was near the Kubra Masjid

A passerby saw her body and informed the New Karachi police, who took the body to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where it was found that the woman’s corpse bore signs of torture and two bullet wounds..

The New Karachi police said that the victim was tortured and killed in another area, before her body was dumped in their jurisdiction. A member of the banned People’s Aman Committee, 25-year-old Adnan Ghanchi suffered bullet wounds when unidentified motorcyclists shot him while was standing at a cold drink shop in Jamshed Quarters No-2

Locals said that the heavy firing caused people to seek shelter to save their lives. When the firing finally came to an end, the injured was rushed to the Civil Hospital in a critical condition; however, the doctors were unable to save his life.

An MLO at the Civil Hospital said that the Ghanchi suffered five bullets to the body.

SDPO New Town told The News that the deceased was a supporter of the Peoples Aman Committee (PAC) and was killed in a targeted incident. The deceased was a resident of the Meena Bazar Sitra Building in the PIB Colony police jurisdiction. He was also the cousin of Munna Ghanchi, a vice-president of the PAC.

SIU informant slain

In a late night incident, 25-year-old Adnan Baloch, who was an SIU informant, was killed when he accompanied a police party to arrest some suspected target killers North Nazimabad’s Block-B.

An encounter broke out and the lost his life in the incident.

The News