Gone too soon: 35-year-old CTD constable laid to rest

He was shot dead by armed motorcyclists in Soldier Bazaar late Tuesday night

KARACHI: A 35-year-old constable of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police was laid to rest amid tears and sobs on Wednesday.

Constable Khalid Shaikh, posted to CTD, Garden, was shot dead by armed motorcyclists near his residence on Nishtar Road in Soldier Bazaar neighbourhood late Tuesday night. He was shot twice and died on the spot. His funeral prayers were offered at Police Headquarters, Garden, which were attended by his family members and relatives along with a large number of officials and personnel of the police and Rangers, including Additional IG Mushtaq Maher. Maher and Brigadier Nadir of Sindh Rangers laid a wreath on the coffin of the slain policeman.

Soldier Bazaar SHO Irshad Soomro said that a case has been registered and four suspects nominated by the victim's brother have been arrested. He said that the police were trying to verify their involvement in the murder, adding that Shaikh's family told the police that he was killed over personal enmity.

Meanwhile, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's Jamaatul Ahrar claimed the responsibility for the killing of the cop on social media on Wednesday.

Series of attacks

This was not the first such incident to have occurred. Earlier, on January 6, a rickshaw driver was killed and two policemen were injured in two consecutive attacks on law enforcers in Karachi's North Nazimabad neighbourhood.

Also, sub-inspector (SI) Iqbal Mehmood of Ferozabad's Investigation Wing was shot dead and three people, including his friend, were wounded when armed motorcyclists attacked him on Rashid Minhas Road on January 4. Meanwhile, traffic DSP Faiz Shigri was shot dead in a targeted attack on Gulistan-e-Jauhar on November 27.  Despite the consecutive attacks and ongoing Karachi operation, investigators remained unable to probe these cases and trace the group(s) behind the fresh wave of attacks on law enforcers in the metropolis.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2017.