Two military police personnel shot dead in Karachi

The victims’ jeep was stuck in traffic on MA Jinnah Road when they came under attack from behind

KARACHI: Masked gunmen riding a motorcycle shot dead on Tuesday two military policemen in Karachi.

The victims' jeep was stuck in traffic on the city's main MA Jinnah Road when they came under attack from behind, according to officials.

"The assailants stopped their car and opened fire on them near Tibet Centre in Karachi," a police official told The Express Tribune.



Photo shows a military police vehicle which came under attack on Karachi's MA Jinnah Road on December 01, 2015. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Witnesses said bike-riding militants took head-shots of the two military police personnel who were sitting inside their vehicle.



"One of them died on the spot whereas the other succumbed to his injuries at the hospital," DIG South Jamil Ahmed told AFP. "This is a very serious incident but we will track the attackers down soon."

Bodies of the personnel, who were later identified as Lans Naik Rashid and Havaldar Irshad, shifted to the PNS Shifa Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police and Rangers cordoned off the crime scene and launched investigations to arrest the suspects.



Investigators are trying to obtain CCTV footage from the scene while at least three 9mm bullet casings were recovered from the spot.



Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Sial took notice of the incident and directed Inspector General of Police Sindh to submit an inquiry report of the incident.

Expressing deep sorrow over the death of two security personnel, the provincial home minister prayed for their forgiveness.

“Police have rounded up at least two suspects from the crime scene,” the DIG South said, adding two terrorists opened fire on the vehicle of military police from its back.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah called Karachi Corps Commander Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar and inquired about the incident.

The chief minister further called a meeting of Karachi Apex Committee to oversee the overall security situation of the metropolis at the Chief Minister’s House on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif expressed his grief over the incident in a message posted on the social media website, Facebook.

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/ShehbazSharif/posts/1012282745476998"]

Later in the day, officials attended the funeral for fallen soldiers.

PHOTO: AFP

Terrorist attacks cannot undermine progress of Zarb e Azb: COAS

Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif paid rich tribute to the slain military police personnel, saying such terrorist acts could not shake their resolve to root out terrorism from the soil.

According to the ISPR, the army chief has instructed intelligence and security agencies to go to any length to apprehend the perpetrators.

Killing of military personnel was aimed to undermine the progress of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the COAS was quoted as saying.

Paying rich tributes to valour&sacrifice of 2 MP sldrs who embraced shahadat in a terrorist attk at Kchi,#COAS said such terrorist acts-1/3

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 1, 2015

which aim to undermine progress of Op ZeA,can not shake our national resolve to root out terrorism from our soil once for all-2/3

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 1, 2015

#COAS instructed intelligence and security agencies to go to any length to apprehend the perpetrators-3/3

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 1, 2015

Prime minister condemns attack

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also condemned the attack, saying the government would not be deterred by such cowardly terrorist attacks.

According to APP, prime minister in a message from London said that "peace and stability is the future of Karachi,” adding the martyred military men sacrificed their lives for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan.