2 ‘ANP workers’ shot dead, 3 others killed

Police say killings are a deliberate attempt to stoke ethnic tensions.

KARACHI:

At least five people, including two political workers, were gunned down in separate acts of violence in the last 24 hours.

Two men died and two others were critically injured when unidentified armed men targeted a teashop on Mubarak Shaheed Road in Abyssinia Lines, late Thursday night. The victims were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where two men, identified as Shah Wali and his cousin Mohammad Zaman, succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The injured men, who were in critical condition till the filing of this report, were identified as Ahmed Jan, Wali’s younger brother, and Abdul Bari, a cousin.

The Awami National Party (ANP) claimed that the victims were its workers and affiliated with its Saddar unit. ANP spokesman Qadir Khan asked all Pakhtuns to protest and voice their condemnation of the incident. “We appeal to all Pakhtuns to shut down their hotels and shops,” said Khan. While talking to The Express Tribune, Khan said law-enforcement agencies should fulfill their duties and prevent such incidents. They should also ensure that businesses are closed before 10 pm due to the worsening security situation. Precautionary measures should be taken by Pathans because of prevailing security concerns. Khan also demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the incident.

For their part, however, the police stated that the victims had no political affiliation. “They had no link with the ANP,” said SHO Shabbir Haider while speaking with The Express Tribune. “But since they were Pakhtun and hailed from Quetta, the ANP claimed that they were party workers.”

Haider was of the view that peace was being deliberately shattered in the city to fuel ethnic tensions.

He said there were at least four men on two motorcycles that carried out the shooting. Nine millimetre pistols were used and 10 bullet casings were recovered from the crime scene. An FIR, No.116/11, was registered on the complaint of Abdul Bari’s brother, Akram, and the police have started investigation.

In another purported case of target killing, 34-year-old Mohammad Waseem was shot dead in Zubairi Colony. The victim was a resident of Baldia Town and an electrician. Police officials said that Waseem was going on his motorcycle to meet his in-laws when two men opened fire at him. The bullets pierced his skull, killing him instantly. The SHO Pak Colony police, Malik Ayub, said that the victim had a prior criminal record and had been arrested and released on bail twice before. However, the motive behind the murder has yet to be ascertained. An FIR, No. 81/11, was registered on the complaint of Waseem’s father-in-law.

Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, has claimed that there have been no cases of target killings in Karachi since Thursday as several suspects involved have been arrested and that a strategy to curb this menace been implemented.

Bodies recovered

Two corpses were also discovered from different parts of the city. A bullet-ridden body of a young man was found dumped in a nullah in Korangi. Residents found the body and alerted the police. The victim’s body was first taken to Jinnah hospital and later shifted to the Edhi morgue but the identity of the man could not be ascertained till the filing of this report. Police officials said that he was shot at least four times and then dumped in the drain.

The body of 46-year-old Suleman, son of Wilayat Khan, was also discovered from the precincts of Surjani Town police station. The victim was a resident of Metroville, Site. Police officials said that there were no physical marks of torture or bullet wounds and that the cause of death had not yet been ascertained.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th,  2011.