Two killed as religious scholar narrowly escapes attack in Karachi

Scholar's police guard, Zahid Hussain, and private guard, Mazhar Hussain sustained fatal bullet injuries.

KARACHI: At least two people were killed when armed men fired on the convoy of a prominent religious scholar in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Saturday evening.

The scholar remained safe in the attack, but his two security guards were killed in the attack.

Initial reports indicated that at least four armed men, riding on two motorcycles, targeted the convoy of Shia Ulema Council's leader Allama Mirza Yousaf Hussain near Shah-e-Zaman Imambargah in Block 12, Gulistan-e-Jauhar within the limits of Shara-e-Faisal police station.

Yousaf’s police guard, Zahid Hussain, and a private guard, Mazhar Hussain sustained fatal bullet injuries in the attack.

“Mirza Yousuf had arrived to visit his party’s leader in the area,” said SP Ali Asif, before adding that the scholar's “vehicle had passed, however, the bullets hit and killed his guards who were in the squad’s vehicle.”

Mirza Yousaf's eldest son Khadim Hussain had previously been killed in a sectarian attack in Nazimabad. The scholar is also the prayer leader at Kanzul Eemaan Masjid-o-Imambargah in Nazimabad.

A spokesperson for Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen condemned the attack and demanded police and Rangers arrest the culprits involved in the attack.

“This was not the first attack to have occurred on Allama Yousuf and his family,” the spokesperson said. “Besides Allama, his family should also be provided more security. The government and law enforcers will be responsible if any untoward incident occur in future.”

Meanwhile, a police inspector and a woman among five more people were killed in separate incidents.

Police ASI, 42-year-old Jabbar, son of Noor Muhammad, was gunned down near Preedy Center, Saddar within the limits of Preedy police station. Police officials said that deceased along with another policeman was on routine patrol when armed riders targeted him and escaped.

He was shot multiple times and died moments after the incident.

In another incident, 16-year-old Sami Noor was shot dead in an armed attack on a doctor's car at Dir Colony within the limits of Shara-e-Noor Jahan police station.

DSP Iftikhar Lodhi said that the victim was returning home after picking his sister up from Rehmat Clinic in a doctor Farrukh's car when an armed man resorted shot at them. Noor was killed from the firing.

In another incident of firing, Shazia, 30, a resident of Shah Faisal Colony, was shot dead when at least two armed riders opened fire at a rickshaw at Bhittaiabad area. Police said that the deceased was on her way home from her employment when unidentified culprits shot and killed her. The motive for the attack is not known.

Elsewhere, a private security guard deployed at a departmental store in Nazimabad was shot dead by armed men. Police officials said that deceased was killed over offering resistance on a robbing bid.