Drive-by shootings: Policeman killed, another injured

House, hujra of peace militia chief destroyed in powerful explosions.

PESHAWAR:

A policeman was shot dead while another was severely injured in separate incidents in the city on Tuesday.

A driver of Kutwali police station, Shahanshah, was gunned down by two attackers near Yakatoot Chowk. He was on his way to the police station when gunmen lying in wait brandished their pistols and killed him on the spot. The assailants managed to escape following the assault.

“The attackers were armed with a TT and 9mm pistols. The ill-fated man had no chance of escape,” said an official of Kutwali police station, adding it was without doubt an incident of target killing.



“No one cooperated. Nearby shopkeepers saw the attackers but shut their shops and fled,” said the official. He maintained incidents of target killing and militancy are expected to go up in the coming days as a reaction to the military operation in Waziristan.

Separately, Irshad Ali, who is the gunman of SP Rahim Shah, was injured during an attempt on his life in Rashid Garhi, in the jurisdiction of Yakatoot police station. Police said Irshad Ali was at a real estate enterprise when two men on a motorbike approached and opened fire, injuring him severely.

“They used a 9mm pistol with a silencer, but the man (Ali) was lucky enough to survive, despite the fact that he was shot in the head and arm,” said an official of Yakatoot police station. “People saw the two men but since they used a muted gun, no one heard the shots and both of them were able to escape on their Honda 125 motorbike.”

In yet another incident, the house and hujra of Masho Khel Aman Lashkar’s chief Israr Ali was destroyed by militants through powerful explosions in Masho Khel, Badhaber late Monday night.

Fortunately, there was no loss of life as the occupants had already vacated the building and shifted to a safer place about a year ago.

“They planted two powerful bombs inside the house and hujra and used petrol bombs to torch the structure,” said Israr Ali. Police said 10 rooms were completely destroyed and the building was beyond repair. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2014.