MQM, PPP activists among 10 shot dead

Amid violence and protests, Shia men killed on Tuesday laid to rest.

KARACHI:


The violence that flared up in parts of the city two days ago did not subside on Wednesday: the death toll for the day stood at ten as the men killed on Tuesday in crossfire between the Rangers and unidentified culprits were laid to rest.


Two alleged gangsters, Asif Baloch and Tariq Baloch, were shot dead in Sammu Goth, within the jurisdiction of the Memon Goth police station. They were sitting at a teashop when two armed men riding a motorcycle shot them. The bodies were taken to Jinnah hospital for autopsy.

In a separate incident, 35-year-old Mohammad Irshad was gunned down in Orangi Town. The victim, a hakim, was sitting at his clinic when two armed men on a motorcycle shot him dead. The body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for an autopsy.

A member of the Bengali Action Committee was killed and two others were wounded in firing in Sector 51-B, within the jurisdiction of the Surjani police station. The victims were sitting outside their homes when two armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire. Abul Hassan, 30, died at the spot and two others, Pir Jan and Qasim, were wounded.

In a sectarian attack, a Shia man was gunned down near Haroonabad stop, within the jurisdiction of the SITE B Section police station. The victim was identified as Shaban Ali. Law enforcers said that unidentified men intercepted Ali’s car as he was returning to his house on Tariq Road. In a separate incident, one man was killed and two others injured in KDA Chowrangi, North Nazimabad.

Bodies found


The bodies of two Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers were found from Nishan-e-Haider Chowk in Orangi Town, within the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Bazaar police station. The victims, identified as 24-year-old Jahangir and 23-year-old Raza, were friends. In a separate incident, the body of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement worker, identified as 30-year-old Kareem, was found in Altaf Nagar. The body of an unidentified man was found on Mauripur Road.

Funeral procession gone awry

Rangers were conspicuous by their absence and police contingents witnessed as silent spectators as angry mobs protesting over sectarian killings torched four more vehicles and a teashop on the second consecutive day of sectarian violence.

On Tuesday morning Allama Aftab Haider Jafri and Mirza Shahid were shot dead in Saddar. During the funeral procession later in the day, Faraz Haider, Waseem Ali and Qasim Ali were killed during an exchange of fire between Rangers personnel and armed men.

The funeral prayers of Faraz and Waseem were offered at Babul Ilm Imambargah in North Nazimabad after Zuhr. A large number of people, including Shia leaders, attended. As the bodies were brought in for funeral prayers, unidentified armed men set ablaze three vehicles at different spots in North Nazimabad. A truck was torched near Haroon Shopping Center in Shadman area, a bus near Five Star Chowrangi and a car in North Nazimabad.

Mourners pelted passing vehicles with stones and blocked roads leading to Super Highway from North Nazimabad.

FIRs not registered

The Brigade police has not yet registered a case for the killing of Allama Aftab Jafri and his companion as they are waiting for a complainant. They have, however, registered a case against unidentified men for planting the remote-controlled bomb which was successfully defused on Tuesday at Numaish Chowrangi. Similarly, the Sharifabad police has yet to register a case for the killing of Faraz Haider, Waseem Ali and Qasim Ali. District West DIG Javed Odho said that nobody from Rangers or victims’ families has approached the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2012.
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