Targeted attacks?: Former JI union council nazim among five gunned down

Abid Ilyas had served as the nazim of Liaquatabad Town’s UC-10.

KARACHI: A former union council nazim belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was among five people gunned down on Friday in separate acts of violence.

Forty-eight-year-old Abid Ilyas was shot dead early Friday morning in Nazimabad, within the jurisdiction of the Gulbahar police station. His body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Ilyas was a former nazim of Liaquatabad Town’s UC-10. According to the police, he was also associated with the construction business. Ilyas was gunned down as he came out of his office and was walking towards his car. Law enforcers claimed at least two armed men a motorcycle were behind the attack. SHO Chaudhry Liaquat said the motive behind the incident has yet to be ascertained and a case has been registered against unidentified men.



The victim’s funeral prayers, led by former city nazim Naimatullah Khan, were offered after Friday prayers in Nazimabad. A large number of people including JI leaders Liaquat Baloch, Mairajul Huda Siddiqui and Muhammad Hussain Mehanti were present at the occasion. The participants of the funeral prayers staged a protest and shouted slogans against the incident, demanding the arrest of the culprits.

While talking to the media, Liaquat Baloch said the caretaker government and law enforcement agencies have failed to do their duties. Mehanti, while hinting about a rival political party, said the killing aimed at stopping ongoing protests against the rigging of polls in Karachi. He added that protests would continue despite threats.

More violence

In a separate incident, a faith healer and a woman were gunned down inside a house in Mianwali Colony, within the jurisdiction of the Manghopir police station. The faith healer was identified as 65-year-old Shafi aka Dewana, and the woman as Bakhti Karam Bibi, 50. The woman’s ten-year-old son Mohammad Zain was also injured in the incident. SHO Abdul Moeed said Bakhti Bibi used to work as the faith healer’s assistant and unidentified men entered their ‘Astana’ and opened indiscriminate fire.



In another incident, 45-year-old Abdullah Rashid was shot dead by armed men in Malir. The police said Rashid lived in the area in which he was gunned down. He was travelling when armed men on a motorcycle sprayed him with bullets.

Another man, identified as 30-year-old Dilshad, was shot dead in Soldier Bazaar. Law enforcers said Dilshad used to run a meat shop. He was sitting inside it when unidentified men shot him, allegedly over his refusal to pay extortion.

In another incident, a man was found dead from Kala Pul. Police officials said the man’s body bore torture marks and has been moved to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth for identification.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.