Former army officer shot dead outside his house

Major (retd) Ahsan Raza was travelling on his motorcycle when two unidentified men intercepted him

KARACHI: A former army officer was shot dead in Defence Housing Authority on Saturday morning allegedly by robbers who snatched away his new motorcycle after killing him. But the banned outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the killing, terming it a ‘successful’ targeted attack.

“Major (retd) Ahsan Raza was travelling on his motorcycle when two unidentified pillion riders intercepted him right outside his house,” a duty officer at the Defence police station told The Express Tribune.

“Raza bought the motorcycle two weeks ago and it was routine for the ex-army officer to take it out for initial running, an important phase for new motorcycles to condition its engine,” said the officer.



Raza put up resistance as the two men tried to snatch motorcycle from him on gun point, the officer said, adding that the robbers then fired shots at him. “He was in a pool of blood when police arrived at the scene. Immediately, he was rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre but eventually succumbed to his wounds.”

The robbers fled the scene taking away with them the motorcycle, the officer said, adding that the police were trying to make their sketches with the help of witnesses. “There is a private bank right in front of the crime scene. We are trying to get footage from the cameras installed there. But this may take two days at least since it’s a weekend,” said the officer.



Soon after the incident, the TTP issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. The statement that quoted the terrorist group’s spokesperson, Muhammad Khorasani, read that their ‘special task force’ targeted the former military man.

The police officer maintained, however, that there was no independent confirmation about the involvement of the group in the act. “It seems like a mugging incident. However, the investigators will find out the facts.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2015.