Target killings: Four MQM men among 10 killed

Murders linked to ethnic tensions; several others reported missing.

KARACHI:

Ten people, including four  activists of a political party, were killed and five others were injured in separate areas on Monday. Several people were also reported missing and feared dead.

Business activities came to a halt in the Old City areas as unidentified armed men attacked Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers in Kharadar, Napier Road and Garden.

On Sunday night, a group of 10 to 15 motorcyclists attacked MQM workers in the Paan Mandi area, said the Risala police. A party activist identified as Irfan was killed, while three others, Asghar Yousaf, Abdul Waheed and Hanif Moosa, were injured. The suspects then moved towards Kamil Gali in Kharadar and opened fire at some more MQM workers. Two men identified as Zubair and Sher Alam were injured. They were taken to Civil hospital.

Two men, identified as Sharif, 45, and 25-year-old Anees, were attacked near Azeem Plaza in Dhobi Ghat on Monday afternoon, said the Garden police. They were taken to Civil hospital, where Sharif was pronounced dead. The police claimed that the men were affiliated with MQM’s Unit-32. Sharif was a rickshaw driver and was waiting for passengers with Anees.

In the Paper Market area in Kharadar, 32-year-old Mansoor Siraj was shot dead while his friend Sohail Sikandar, 28, was injured in the attack. Both the victims were stated to be MQM activists.

The assailants then struck Bihar Colony in Chakiwara and gunned down 35-year-old Hakeem Asif inside the Ehsan Dawakhana. Asif was also associated with the MQM. The police said that 9mm pistols were used in all five incidents of target killings.

SSP South Zone Nasir Aftab told The Express Tribune that the murders were linked to the ongoing ethno- political tensions between the MQM and banned Peoples Amn Committee.

“Target killings of political activists and the bodies found are all linked,” he said. “The people targeted since last night were all MQM supporters and not office-bearers, as they are easy targets.”

Five more people, including two security guards, were killed while another MQM activist was injured. The police also found a body from Sohrab Goth.

In Orangi Town, 45-year-old Muneebullah was shot dead in Islamia Colony. The Pirabad police said that the victim was sitting outside a mosque after Fajr.

In Gizri, two men on a motorcycle killed a security guard, identified as 65-year-old Gul Roz, near Nisar Shaheed Park. Another private security guard deployed at the main gate of Memon Nagar Society was shot dead by unidentified men. Suleman Khan, 53, was killed by the motorcyclists when he tried to stop them from entering the residential colony.

A driver, identified as 60-year-old Mohammad Rafiq, was killed when armed men attacked his car near the Jheel Park, said the Ferozabad police. A man was killed and another was wounded in a firing incident on Nishter Road, said the Soldier Bazaar police. The body of an unidentified man was found near Super Highway. Another MQM activist, identified as 40-year-old Munawar of party’s unit-58/A, was injured in an armed attack near the Old Sabzi Mandi, the PIB police said.

The MQM and PAC are accusing each other for the day’s violence while the police claims that the incidents were linked.

Law and order: Major reshuffle in Sindh police on cards   

A major reshuffle in the police department is on the cards to deal with the ongoing incidents of targeted killings and violence in the city.

The Sindh police department has sent a proposal to the provincial government regarding the transfer of at least three DIGs and four SSPs.

According to the proposal, Commandant Shaukat Ali Shah, is likely to be appointed as new commandant for the Police Training Centre, Saeedabad. DIG East Zone, Tahir Naveed, is likely to be the new chief of the Crime Investigation Department. DIG Establishment, Shahid Hayat, may be posted as DIG East Zone. While SSP Farooq Awan is likely to be transferred and posted to the East Zone. Asif Ejaz Sheikh to be transferred to South Zone, Nasir Aftab will be posted to the Crime Branch II and Ahmed Yar Chuhan to Crime Branch I.

According to the sources, another reshuffle is expected at a later stage. DIG Shaukat Ali Shah told The Express Tribune that the proposal was sent to the authorities concerned but nobody knows whether the government would approve it or not.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2012.