Crack this code, scoff killers

As if to throw down the gauntlet to the prime minister, five more people were killed in Karachi.

As if to throw down the gauntlet to the prime minister, men with guns decided that five more people needed to be killed on Friday.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani spoke to the media about a code of conduct for political parties after a meeting at Chief Minister House. Elsewhere, according to police sources, around five workers of different parties were gunned down and more than 12 other people were injured. For their part, however, the police claimed they had arrested one target killer who is said to be affiliated with a political party.

The situation in the west zone of the city was tense for the sixth consecutive day where gunmen from two rival groups continued to fire at each other and youngsters were seen roaming in the lanes and bylanes armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. There were even reports that both groups fired rockets at each other near Qasba Morr but the police did not confirm the report. Banaras, Katti Pahari, Manghopir, Metroville and Baldia were oblivious to the high-level meetings on law and order.

According to police sources, some unidentified men on motorcycles started firing at people standing at the Manghopir Bus Stop at around 6 am. As a result, two men Sardar Ali, 35, and Zakria, 45, were shot and injured and died on the way to Jinnah hospital.

The SHO of Manghopir said that it was definitely a target killing. He said that the victims were relatives, an uncle and a nephew, who hailed from Mansehra, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In another incident, some gunmen shot at Abdul Basit near the meat market in Orangi Town. He was taken to Qatar hospital where he breathed his last. Later, the body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Sources there said that the man was wearing trousers and a shirt and was shot thrice. The police said that the victim was not affiliated with any party but he was a Mohajir. The

Other police sources said that one worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was killed and six others were injured in different areas.

Sources said that Aamir Siddiqui, who was injured on Friday, in Orangi Town, died early Saturday morning. He was a worker of unit 131 and a resident of sector D. Meanwhile, Mushtaq, Noorudin and Kashif were injured when some people started firing at them in Haqqani Muhalla near Qasba Morr. They were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Meanwhile, Iftikhar, Naseem and Imran were injured in Ranchore Lines and had to be taken to Civil hospital.

In yet another incident, some men on motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire in Abidabad, Baldia and injured Azmatullah, Haji Anwar, Shaukat Ali, Fahim and Fazal. According to Awami National Party spokesman Qadir Khan, they were party workers. He said more than six of their workers were injured on Saturday and the Mochko police had arrested some people involved in the attack. He put the number of Pathans killed at 68 and nine for ANP workers.

According to SHO Mochko Rao Farman Ali, five to six men on motorcycles has attacked the ANP workers. He said that one of the attackers, Bakhtiar Ali, had been arrested. The SHO said that one arrested man in a target killing case had given the names of his accomplices as well. Elswhere, an activist of the Pakistan Peoples Party identified as Sajjad, 22, who was injured in firing in Orangi Town, Baloch Colony limits, died at Civil hospital Saturday morning. The area’s party president Suleman Sindhi confirmed that he was one of their men.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2010.