4 killed in Korangi hit; 2 injured in Surjani

Four people, two of whom belonged to political parties, were killed, allegedly over a land dispute on Tuesday in the Korangi Industrial Area.

At around 1 pm, unidentified armed men in a Cultus opened fire at a Toyota Corolla in P & T Colony, killing four people, whose bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for autopsies.

Sources at the hospital said that all the victims had sustained multiple bullet wounds on their heads, torso and legs from a close range.

The deceased, who were between the ages of 30 and 35, were identified as Farooq, Farman, Naseem Hyder, and Mohammed Bux, also known as Bukhso. While Hyder was said to be affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bukhso was believed to be associated with the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), Korangi police officer Manzoor Katiyar informed The Express Tribune. Farman was an estate agent while Farooq’s occupation is yet to be determined, it was also revealed.

A large number of people gathered outside the JPMC, blocked the main road and pelted stones at vehicles following the incident. They also shouted slogans demanding the arrest of the murderers.

Everyone knows who is involved in the incident, but the government will not take action against them, charged the protesters, which included women and children.

Katiyar said that it was too soon to determine the nature of the incident. He admitted, however, that at the outset it looked like a case of targeted killings.

“Lots of people have been killed in the area over land grabbing. Therefore, a dispute over land cannot be ruled out as a reason behind the killings,” he said.

Korangi Industrial Area SHO Asif Jakhrani also believed that the four men were killed in a dispute over land in Ibrahim Hyderi.

“The men had occupied land and had then sold most of it. Farman had come to meet the other three men with a proposal regarding the sale of the rest of the land on Tuesday when the four men were shot dead by some people in a Cultus.” said Jakhrani. “Everyone knows who can commit the kind of crime that took place in the Korangi Industrial Area.”

However, talking to The Express Tribune, JSQM divisional organiser Ellahi Bux Bikak claimed that some workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had illegally occupied a football ground in Juma Kalmati Goth, Orangi Town, and had tried to sell it. When Bukhso, who was a resident of Juma Goth, found out, tensions grew - leading to an attack on Bukhso, he claimed.

Meanwhile, cases have yet to be registered by the police against the accused as officials claimed that the relatives of the victims have yet to approach them.

2 JI workers sustain bullet injuries

Fifty-year-old Mohammed Hanif and his 30-year-old son, Azhar, were injured when unidentified armed men on motorcycles opened fire at them in Surjani Town, Sector 7-D, on Tuesday.

The men were taken to the Aga Khan Hospital for treatment, where their condition was said to be serious. Both men were said to be activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

JI Karachi chapter general secretary Naeem Rehman told The Express Tribune that the men had been attacked by members of “a rival party in Karachi”.

He claimed that the JI workers had initially received threats from Tahir Wasti, Safadar and Imran Kala of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who had asked the JI activists to stop political activities in the area. On their refusal, the MQM workers had attacked and injured them, Rehman claimed.

Meanwhile, the MQM coordination committee condemned “the acts of terrorism” in Korangi and Surjani Town, stating that “heinous criminals are trying to disturb peace and prosperity in Karachi”.

The committee claimed that conspiracies are being hatched to start disputes in Karachi following the cooperation between the MQM and the ulema. It also demanded that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah must take “serious action against these acts of terrorism and award exemplary punishment to all those involved in such acts”.

Qaim Ali Shah orders  action against culprits

The CM ordered Sindh IG police Sultan Salahuddin Babar Khattak and CCPO Waseem Ahmed to take immediate action against the people involved in the Korangi and Surjani town incidents.

He directed to officials to increase the contingents of law-enforcers and patrolling of Rangers and police personnel in the areas.

He also issued directives to the Sindh police and Rangers to “take all measures for the safety of people’s lives and property” while asking residents to maintain peace, tolerance and solidarity with the law-enforcers.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2010.