Five-year-old boy killed in aerial firing

KARACHI: A five-year-old boy, identified as Zeeshan, was killed on the spot when he was shot in the head in Gorabad, near Purani Sabzi Mandi on Saturday.

The boy was reportedly on his way home after buying sweets. A group of men from a political party, a coalition partner with the Sindh government, opened fire in the air when they saw some rival political party workers putting up flags in the area, which lies within the limits of the PIB Colony police station.

The second party is also a coalition partner.

In an ensuing exchange of aerial firing, the boy was killed while shopkeepers in the area were forced to close down their businesses.

Rangers and police were later deployed. However, the two groups cordoned off some streets and continued firing at each other till the filing of this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.