Seven more men gunned down

KARACHI: Seven more men were gunned down in Karachi on Saturday as political parties and the government attempted to stem the tide of violence. The police have yet to confirm whether they were target killings.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement also registered an FIR, the first in the recent killings, for the murder of Rizwan who was killed in Gulistan-e-Jauhar following the attack on their unit office. The Awami National Party also registered a police case, for the killing of a bus conductor who lost his life in the same incident. These cases were registered at the Shahrae Faisal police station (Nos 703/10, 704/10 and 705/10) against Liaquat Bangash, Haroon Bangash, Qadir Bangash and others for the attack on MQM unit office.

A 30-year-old Bengali man was gunned down in Sector 50-B within the jurisdiction of Surjani Town police station. The police said that the victim, Jahangir, was sitting outside his house when four armed men came on two motorcycles and sprayed him with bullets.

Two chemists were injured in firing in Ibrahim Market within the jurisdiction of PIB Colony police station. SHO Dost Mohammad said that a man arrived at the medical store and opened indiscriminate fire at Kashif and Nadeem.

Two men were killed in Surjani Town. The police said that Badshah Khan, Arafat and Akbar were sitting inside alJazeerah Estate Agency in Taj Muhammad Goth in Khuda ki Basti when two armed men entered their office and opened fire.

An elderly man, polishing shoes on the road, was also gunned down by unidentified men within the jurisdiction of Bilal Colony police station. Saeed Khan hailed from Bajaur.

Estate agent Habib Khan was killed by unidentified armed men within the jurisdiction of Sachal police station. A resident of Railway Pathak, 30-year-old Nazeer Khan, a rickshaw driver, was shot within the jurisdiction of Sharifabad police station.

An unidentified teenaged boy was killed by armed men at Abul Hassan Isphahani Road within the jurisdiction of Mobina police station. Separately, three people were injured by unidentified men near Malir River within the jurisdiction of Korangi Industrial Area police station.

The police said that Fida Hussain 25, Sher Bahadur, 50, and Waseem, 26, were sitting at Korangi No 5 when armed men opened indiscriminate fire at them. The police said that all three victims were Pakhtun.

Rioters burnt at least four vehicles, a number of pushcarts and shops on Saturday.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2010.