Sindh Bar Council secretary shot dead

Police see incident as a well-planned act of target killing

KARACHI:

In an apparent case of target killing, the Sindh Bar Council (SBC) Secretary Irfan Ali Mehr was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Wednesday morning. Nephew of the victim who was also travelling with him in the car remained unhurt.

Police obtained the CCTV footage of the incident which shows armed assailants wearing helmets opening fire on the victim's vehicle.

Calling the incident a target killing, the Karachi police chief said that the assailants fired from a close at such a place that they were sure that they would achieve their target. A professional investigation into the incident has been launched and efforts will be made to reach the culprits soon, he said.

As soon as the incident was reported, police, Sindh Rangers and law enforcement officers rushed to the spot and the body of the deceased was first shifted to the nearby Darul Sehat Hospital and later to Jinnah Hospital.

In this regard, East SSP Qamar Raza Jaskani told The Express Tribune that the deceased was a resident of Chapel Plaza situated in Block-13, Gulistan-e-Jauhar. The victim was on his way back to Chapel Plaza after dropping his son at a private school in Block 13, Gulistan-e-Jauhar when he was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

SSP Jaskani said that besides Irfan Mahar, his 14-year-old nephew who was also present inside the car at the time of the attack remained unscathed. He said that the statement of victim's nephew would be recorded after he comes out of shock.

The SSP said that police found three spent shells of 30 bore pistol from the scene.

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Gulshan Iqbal SP Abdul Khaliq and SP Investigation Altaf Hussain also reached the spot. The SP Gulshan while talking to media said, it seems armed suspects chased Mahar from the school. SP Investigation Altaf Hussain said that the initial investigation revealed that the incident was targeted killing.

On the other hand, the postmortem of the deceased was completed at JPMC. In this regard, Police Surgeon Dr Samia while talking to the media representatives outside the JPMC Mortuary said that Mahar was shot five times. The deceased sustained two bullets in his chest, two in his face and one bullet hit him in the arm. She added that the bullets which hit him in the chest caused his death.

After the incident, Karachi Police Chief Imran Yaqub Minhas along with other police officers reached JPMC. Talking to media persons, the police chief said that investigation into the incident has been launched and it would be premature to give opinion immediately. "The CCTV footage suggests the incident was not a street crime. It was fully planned and targeted killing," he said, adding, victim's wallet and other belongings, including his mobile phone, were not snatched from the vehicle, indicating the fact that the incident was a target killing," he added. "The suspects were wearing helmets to conceal their identities and were fully protected."

Courts to remain closed

After the incident, Karachi Bar President Naeem Qureshi, Barrister Haider Imam and other lawyers also reached the crime scene and the hospital where they strongly condemned the incident and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident. The Karachi Bar Council, Sindh High Court Bar Association and legal fraternity across the province have announced to boycott court proceedings on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Khurram Sher Zaman and Bilal Ghaffar also reached the spot and while talking to media condemned the incident and said that it feels as if professional killers have carried out the attack. "The onset of targeted killings in the city is a cause for concern," they said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2021.