Collateral damage: Passerby killed as rival groups battle it out

Members of Sunni Tehreek and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat exchange fire for over two hours.

HYDERABAD:

A passerby was killed and at least two others were injured as members of the Sunni Tehreek and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat fought each other in Mirpurkhas on Thursday.

Holed up on MA Jinnah Road and the Post Office Chowk area, members of the two groups continued to fire on each other for over two hours. The disturbance took place after activists of the Sunni Tehreek were staging a sit-in to protest against the other group, whom they accused of removing one of their flags from the area.

A passerby, Rizwan Qureshi, 35, was hit by a bullet in the melee, and died after he was shifted to a hospital. Arsalan Ahmed, and another man were injured.

Security fears

During a press conference in Hyderabad on Thursday, Allama Imdad Ali Naseemi of the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen expressed fears about an outbreak of sectarian violence in the city as residents celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi on Friday (today).

“The police and district administrations of Hyderabad and neighbouring cities should open their eyes, before the situation gets out of control, [along the lines of what] we see in Karachi,” warned Naseemi, before demanding that authorities put in place strict security measures between Rabiul Awwal 12 and Rabiul Awwal 18.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2013.