Under investigation: JI local leader shot dead

His friend says the bullet pierced his mouth and hit Arshad in the chest.

KARACHI: A local leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was shot dead near the 4-K Chowrangi within the limits of the New Karachi Industrial Area police station on Tuesday night.

He was laid to rest on Wednesday in North Karachi. Arshad alias Arshi was gunned down while his friend Matiur Rehman was injured in firing.

The deceased used to live in Gulshan-e-Maymar and was going with Rehman in his car for some errands when unidentified men opened fire at the vehicle. He was critically injured and succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital.

The funeral prayers were offered at the Abu Uzaifa Masjid near his residence after Zuhr and he was laid to rest at a graveyard in the area. JI’s Sirajul Haq led the prayers. Strict security measures were taken by the police to avoid untoward incidents.

The police said that Arshad was not killed in a targeted attack. “Our investigation suggests that it was not a target killing,” said SHO Muhamamd Ali.

He claimed that Rehman told them that the men tried to stop the car and shot at them once. He added that the bullet pierced his mouth and hit the deceased in the chest and killed him.

The SHO said that a case had been registered on Rehman’s behalf against three unidentified persons while further investigation was underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2014.