Target killings: Three people gunned down, two bodies found

KARACHI:

Around three people, including a political party activist, were shot dead while over half a dozen men were injured in separate incidents on Sunday. The police also found the bodies of two men in gunny bags.

A man identified as 27-year-old Sohail Hussain was gunned down near Old Sabzi Mandi by unidentified men on a motorcycle. The body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The police claimed that he was affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. As news of the party activist’s death spread, tension gripped PIB Colony and surrounding areas. Around six people were injured in the crossfire between two groups and two vehicles were also set on fire. SHO Nusrat Sheikh suspects that the violence that Hussain’s murder was politically motivated. Hussain’s funeral was held in Liaquatabad and was attended by party workers and the Coordination Committee. He was buried in the Yasinabad graveyard.

A former military officer identified as 37-year-old Mushtaq was gunned down on the railway tracks, said the Docks police. They claimed that he lived in Macchar Colony and was standing near his house when unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at him. He was shot eight times. The body was taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi. SHO Madad Ali Zardari said that Mushtaq was from Punjab. Mushtaq’s brother Asghar was killed in SITE and his other brother, SI Mohabbat Khan was killed in Kalri in a similar way. He added that Mushtaq and his brothers were most probably killed over a personal enmity.

In an unrelated incident, a man identified as Imran Ismail was shot dead in Nazimabad, said the Rizvia police. They claimed that he was standing outside his house when men on a motorcycle attacked him. The body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The bodies of 33-year-old Kashif and Naveed Ali, 31, were found in gunny bags near Lyari Expressway, said the Liaquatabad police. DSP Wajahat Hussain said that the men went missing on Saturday when they left home to buy fruit. He added that the men were not affiliated with any political parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2012.