Death of a salesman

KARACHI: The violence emanating from the phenomenon of politico-ethnic target killings has been exacerbated by a fresh spate of sectarian violence in the city. On Wednesday, a member of the Shia community was shot dead by unidentified men on a motorcycle.

According to SHO Tariq Imran, Shehzad Raza, a salesman at a grocery shop near Bahadurabad Chowrangi, had just reached his workplace when he was ambushed. The attackers shot Raza twice in the head and then escaped. Raza’s body was moved to Jinnah hospital for medico-legal formalities, where the administration confirmed his death. His body was handed over to family after the completion of medico-legal procedures.

Raza, who left behind one child, is not the first in his family to be killed in this manner.

Shehzad’s elder brother, Asif Raza, was killed just last week in the jurisdiction of the Rizvia police. According to the police, Asif was also a victim of sectarian target killing.

SHO Imran said that both victims were residents of Block 18 Samanabad in the Federal B Area.

The situation in the area remained tense as the body was brought back to his house. People took to the streets and shouted slogans against the government and police for failing to curb sectarian killings in the city. Markets in the surrounding areas also closed down.

Violence erupted at Ancholi at the time of the funeral prayers between police and the angry protesters. The protesters also blocked the main road and damaged nearby shops and a vehicle.

Death toll in 2009 and 2010

Central police officials said that sectarian target killings have claimed the lives of at least 37 members of the Sunni sect and 41 of the Shia sect during the years 2009 and 2010. At least five doctors have also been killed in the last two months, and their deaths are suspected to be part of the same violence.

None of the people involved in the killings have been arrested so far and the pressure from both the Shia and Sunni sects is rising. Representatives of both the sects are calling themselves victims of the violence and are demanding that the perpetrators be caught.

Investigative insight

According to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the city police, militant groups of both sects are operating in the city. While on one hand, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi members were arrested in connection with bank robberies, the CID also claims to have arrested people associated with militant Shia organisations. In one such case, police arrested three suspects who, they claimed, channelled funds to the head of the Anjuman-i-Hussain Matmi, Maulana Syed Abid Hussain Shah.

Along with other various local militant organisations, the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has also developed a strong network in Karachi.

The TTP is involved in major illegal activities across the city and uses the finances earned from these operations to sponsor militancy in the tribal areas of the country, the police officials added. While the police claims to have all the records of the illegal activities carried out by these sectarian outfits, it has failed to bring the killings to an end.

Shia cleric Allama Abbas Komaili condemned the attacks and said at least five members of his sect have been killed during the last 15 days. Komaili feels that a banned Sunni militant outfit is behind the target killings. According to him, the government has failed to provide protection to Shias.

On the other hand, Qari Ihsan, spokesperson of the Ahle Sunnat wal Jammat, rebuffed the allegations. “We have lost 17 members this year,” he pointed out, demanding that the government should have the murderers arrested.

Wednesday’s target killing comes less than 24 hours after the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) assured a doctors’ delegation that if the target killings do not stop, he would resign. When contacted by The Express Tribune, CCPO Waseem Ahmad refused to comment on the issue.

Published in the Express Tribune, June10th, 2010.