2 ANP activists shot dead

KARACHI: Two activists of the Awami National Party (ANP) were shot dead in the early hours of Tuesday in separate incidents.

Twenty-two-year-old Shehzad was kidnapped and shot dead by unidentified armed men, who threw his body out of an unidentified vehicle near the Alladin Park. Shahzad was found with two bullet wounds in the head. He used to work as a welder in Dalmia and was the youngest of four siblings.

His brother, Ejaz, is an ANP ward in charge in Shanti Nagar.

Twenty-seven-year-old Malik Bahadur Awan was shot dead by unidentified armed men in Memon Goth.

The police believe that Awan, who worked in a private security company, was murdered over a personal enmity.

Both men hailed from Punjab.

“Undemocratic forces want to destabilise the law and order situation in the city,” said ANP Sindh chapter president Shahi Syed, who condemned the killings of his activists and demanded the arrests of the culpable men as soon as possible.

He also appealed to his party’s activists to maintain peace and protect their neighbourhoods from falling prey to terrorism, adding that his party will not allow criminals to succeed in their goals.

3 months extension for Rangers’ additional powers

Sindh home department has extended the additional powers given to the Pakistan Rangers for a further three months after taking notice of the targeted killings in Karachi.

This order was put into effect on Tuesday, after which, “The Rangers will wield powers equal to those given to the police for another three months,” Sindh special home secretary Kamran Dost told The Express Tribune.

Rangers are also allowed to investigate suspects and take action against culprits under the full effect of their current powers, said Dost.

He added that the extension is the first of its kind, as the Rangers have never been given these powers for this length of time before.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2010.