Karachi target killing toll rises to 5

Target killings continue unabated in Karachi, killing five people in the last 24 hours, including a police official.

Two men were killed late last night. A man in Azizabad died of gunshot wounds, while another was gunned down by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle.

Earlier in the evening, three men were killed in three separate incidents. ASI Zahid was shot dead in the north of the city near the Khawaja Ajmeer Nagri area.

The victim had been stationed at Nazimabad police station, and was shot eight times.

The other two incidents took place in the Usman Abad Dhoobi Ghaat area and the Kalri area. The killers managed to escape the scene in all three incidents.

One killed, adolescent injured as mayhem continues

Sectarian violence refuses to abate as a young boy was critically injured on Tuesday. The incident took place during the funeral procession of the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat worker, Ibrahim alias Manna, which was disrupted when a single shot was fired at a 12-year-old boy, Ahsan. He was hit in the stomach.

The gunshot caused panic and anger in the funeral procession as the mourners interrupted their march to the graveyard and staged a sit-in near the Liaquatabad Bypass flyover.

Ahsan was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he is said to be in critical condition.

The police arrived and held negotiations with the protesters, who had blocked the road near the bypass. The protestors dispersed soon after and then proceeded to carry Ibrahim’s coffin to the Okahi community graveyard in Mawach Goth for the burial.

Earlier, the funeral prayers of Ibrahim were led by Maulana Allah Wasaya at al Rahim Mosque, near the meteorological department.

Riots desolate parts of city

Meanwhile, an angry mob torched a passenger bus, route no G-13 bearing registration no JE-0804, also near the Liaquatabad bypass. The rioters fired into the air, causing panic in the area and forcing shopkeepers to shut down their businesses for a while.

A heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies arrived at the scene and used tear gas and batons to disperse the miscreants.

The entire area looked deserted and strife-torn after the riots since the roads had already been cordoned off by the police ahead of the funeral.

The spokesman of the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat, Maulana Ehsan Farooqui, told The Express Tribune that the government should take immediate action to stop ongoing target killings, which had claimed the lives of several innocent people.

He suggested that the government should call an all parties conference and hold talks with those communities and parties that have been affected.

Man killed in Lyari

Sectarian violence was coupled with the other target killings as one more person was gunned down on Tuesday. Zahid Hussain, 26, was standing outside his relative’s house near Lee Market, when two unidentified men opened fire on him. According to police officials, Hussain was struck by two bullets, one in his head and the other in his chest. His body was moved to Civil Hospital Karachi for legal formalities. The victim was an employee at a local filter company and a resident of the Bilal Mohalla, situated at Hawkesbay Road.

Jailers protest staff member’s death

The assistant jailer who was shot last night near the Jail Chowrangi flyover succumbed to his injuries early on Tuesday morning, doctors said.

Ishaq Mue, a grade 16 officer, was targeted last night when he was heading home from Karachi Central Jail in his car.

Two unidentified men on a motorcycle intercepted his car and fired at him, police officials said. Mue was struck by three bullets and was shifted to the Liaquat National Hospital in critical condition.

Following his death, the staff in the central jail held a protest. They boycotted work and refused to present prisoners who were due in court for their proceedings neither did they allow visitors to meet the inmates at the jail. The situation in the jail became quite tense as a result.

According to insiders, some prisoners were to be released the same day and the jailers’ protest delayed their freedom, which led the inmates to lead their own protest.

However, the jailer staff’s boycott was brought to an end by the intervention of higher officials.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2010.