Trigger happy: Man shot after parking dispute outside café

Police say suspect from 'influential family', currently on the run .

A man was injured on Tuesday after a parking dispute escalated outside a tea shop, Chai Shai, in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Tuesday night.

According to eye-witnesses, a brawl broke out when one party refused to remove their car from a parking spot outside the café. Shots were allegedly fired by a member of an influential family and resulted in a man being injured, said police.

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"A man named Syed Manzoor was injured in a dispute outside a cafe on Saba Avenue, Phase-VI, DHA. Shots were fired over a parking dispute in which one man was injured," confirmed the Darakshan SHO Amjad Anwar. "The suspect is on the run and police are searching for him," he said, adding that both the parties knew each other.  A case has been registered against the shooter, Rahim Lango, but no arrest has been made.

Soon after the incident, Chai Shai management took to Facebook to condemn the incident and clarified that the dispute "had nothing to do with Chai Shai or Chai Wala" as many had been speculating.

"What happened today in the lane between Chai Shai and Chai Wala is condemnable," they said. "According to my knowledge, they knew each other and got into an argument over a parking issue where none of the party involved wanted to back off. That resulted in a heated argument. The person who was shot survived thank God. We are fully co-operating with police and Rangers," the post read.

The open air café management said they do not allow people with guns to enter but "controlling something like this anywhere is not possible".

Chai Shai management said that they will be holding a meeting with café owners in the area. "Once we sit down and come up with a better option, we will implement it," said a representative. All the café owners are in contact with each other and share a good relationship. We are in contact with law enforcement and security companies to find a way to make it safer for everyone, he added.



Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2016.