2 Shia men shot dead, buried with 2 Ashura blast victims

Riots were reported in various areas across the city as the funerals of three Shia men were held on Sunday.

Riots were reported in various areas across the city as the funerals of three Shia men, one of whom was shot dead late Saturday night, were held on Sunday.

Twenty-one-year-old Hammad Hussain, a resident of Rizvia Society, was gunned down on Saturday within the limits of the Rizvia police station.

His funeral prayer was offered at the Rizvia Imambargah, along with the funerals of two other men, who were killed in the Ashura blast but whose bodies had not been identified earlier. The bodies had been kept at the Edhi morgue until DNA results confirmed the identity of the men as Mukhtar Ali Soomro and his uncle, Ali Muhammad Soomro.

The funeral procession of the three men started in Rizvia and the bodies were laid to rest in the Mewa Shah graveyard.

In a convulsion of anger, however, the mob pelted stones on vehicles and torched a truck as it made its way to the graveyard, forcing law enforcers to step in. This was followed by an exchange of fire between the trouble makers and the officials of the Rangers and the police as the latter attempted to stop acts of vandalism by teargas shelling.

Meanwhile, the procession made its way through Golimar, Pak Colony, Rizvia and its adjacent areas where commercial and non commercial activities were suspended due to sporadic bouts of firing.

Man gunned down

In a continuation of sectarian violence, 29-year-old Aftab Alam was gunned down while two others were injured in an exchange of fire between two groups in Bahu Goth, Jaffar Tayyar, early Sunday morning.

Malir City DSP Imdad Solangi said that a fight between the Baloch and the Shia communities led to an exchange of fire that resulted in Alam’s death.

Residents of the area said, however that the deceased and his three friends were trying to catch robbers in Bahu Goth when then found themselves trapped by criminals from the Baloch community. They added that all four men had been shot dead while their bodies were disposed of an undisclosed locations.

Alam’s body, however, was found and was laid to rest later in the day. Meanwhile, protesters in the area blocked the roads for several hours and damaged a number of vehicles to demonstrate their anger regarding the matter.

On Saturday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had condemned the incidents of firing in various areas across the city and had directed the IG Sindh Police to take action against the perpetrators. Shah had also directed officials of the police and Rangers to deploy additional teams and patrol areas where crime is most recurrent. He asked the officials to take “all necessary measures” to protect the lives and property of people.

Despite the security measures, however, killings and riots continue to disturb the peace across the city, protesters said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2010.