Three killed in Karachi 'sectarian attack'

Unidentified suspects opened indiscriminate fire at a private vehicle near Shafiq Mor

KARACHI: In an apparent sectarian killing, at least three people belonging to the Shia community were gunned down near Shafiq Mor area of Karachi on Friday.

Hashim, Ali Sajjad and Shamim Rizvi were travelling in a car when suspects intercepted them at Namak Bank in the jurisdiction of Taimooria police station and opened indiscriminate fire at their vehicle, sources told The Express Tribune.

The firing left Hashim and Ali Sajjad dead on the spot while Shamim succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to a nearby hospital.



Attack comes days after two self-radicalised fighters of the Islamic State, the Middle Eastern terrorist group also known by its Arabic acronym of Da’ish, were killed in a gunfight on Wednesday – the day when six suspected Taliban militants were also killed in Lahore.

Speaking at a news conference at his office, SSP Junaid Shaikh had said the two militants, Mujahidullah and Abdullah, were killed in a shootout with a CTD team, which raided their hideout in Gulshan-e-Maymar, on the outskirts of Karachi. The raid also yielded a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The Da’ish operatives were said to be planning major terror attacks in Karachi.

“They were planning attacks on consulates of different countries in Karachi. They also planned targeting shopping malls and sensitive installations,” SSP Shaikh told The Express Tribune.



He said Mujahidullah was a key player for Da’ish in Karachi and carried a head money of Rs1 million. He was earlier associated with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi sectarian militant group and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but he swore allegiance to IS while serving as ‘cook’ of Da’ish leader Jahanzeb in Buner district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Last year, the law enforcers busted a self-radicalised gang inspired by Da’ish after it carried out the brazen Safoora Goth bus massacre, killing 45 members of the Ismaili community.