The first incident of the day was the killing of a clearing-forwarding agent, Naeem Abbas Naqvi. He was shot dead by two motorcyclists in the Medicine Market at Burnes Road around 9:15 when he was on his way to work. He was shot twice in the head and died before he could be taken to Civil hospital.
The victim lived in Rizvia Society and is survived by four children and two wives. The family said that he did not harbour any enmity with anyone.
Naeem’s death triggered violence in Rizvia Society, Golimar, Abbas Town in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and Jaffer Tayyar Society in Malir. The people took to the streets in protest, blocked roads for several hours and burnt tyres. Shops and businesses closed down and there was aerial firing.
This was the second Shia death since Monday night. Late on Monday night, Syed Ahmed Hussain, a manager of a CNG station in Nazimabad No.7 was gunned down when he was on his way home to Surjani Town. He was also killed by two motorcyclists who sprayed his red Cultus with bullets and escaped.
The police have registered a case against unidentified men. According to inquiry officer Mohammad Waheed, Naeem seemed to have been killed over personal enmity because the police did not find any evidence for a robbery.
Later in the day, situation in Orangi was strained when unidentified men killed the son of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s activist in Bangla Bazaar. The victim was identified as Altaf Malik, 22, and was the son of Hasnain. Another man, Ali Hassan, was also injured in the shooting. According to DSP Tariq Malik, the attack was a part of the continuing spate of violence in the city.
Meanwhile in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, a drug peddler, Sajid Ali, was shot dead by disowned activists of Awami National Party (ANP) near Farooqia Masjid in Pehlwan Goth for refusing to pay them extortion money. According to the residents, Ali used to peddle drugs for a man known as Iraqi. They said that he was killed by a close aide to ANP’s Liaquat Bangash, who is known as Macha.
However Bangash was arrested with four others by Crime Investigation Department in May 2011 and was disowned by the ANP.
Eyewitnesses said that Macha came to Ali’s shop with a few other men and demanded extortion money. When he refused the men shot him dead. According to one resident, Macha kidnapped another man some time ago when he too refused to pay him.
The media coordinator of the ANP, Abdul Malik, said that the victim or Macha bore no affiliation with the party.
DSP Pervez Iqbal Bhatti said that the right now the priority was to bring the law and order situation under control. Only after that is settled then they will look into if the attacker or the victim was affiliated with the ANP or not. But Bhatti said that he was sure that both the men were Pushto-speaking.
Gun fights continued after the incident in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and its surrounding areas. A heavy contingent of law enforcers were deployed and shops pulled down their shutters.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2012.
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