Lyari loses three boxers, two others

KARACHI: Three boxers and two of their family members were shot dead on Monday after they were kidnapped allegedly by Lyari gangsters.

The deceased were identified as Ismail, 34, his elder brother, Javed, 38, their two cousins, Shoaib, 19, Faisal, 34 and their maternal uncle, Taj Mohammad, 40. Taj and Shoaib were professional boxers who have played for the Karachi Electric team.

According to the police, the victims were related to the notorious Lyari gangster, Noor Muhammad alias Baba Ladla, and may have been targeted for this reason. The family, however, refuted this and accused the commander of Uzair Baloch group, Sheraz Comrade, of kidnapping these men and then killing them.

Lyari, the hub of footballers in the country, is known for producing the country’s famous sportsmen. As the neighbourhood loses more of its athletes to the government’s inability to control the unrest, the residents see only a bleak future ahead. “We are losing our best sportsmen to violence,” complained Ali Akbar Shah, a national boxer.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2014.