No respite from crime: Political leader, nine others shot dead during Eid holidays

ANP leader was killed with his 25-year-old wife in Nazimabad on Sunday

KARACHI: A local leader of Awami National Party (ANP) was among 10 people killed in separate incidents of target killings and violence in different parts of the city during Eid holidays.

Thirty-six-year-old ANP leader Fazal Khalique was shot dead along with his wife, 25-year-old Rehana, in an act of target killing. The incident took place on the second day of Eidul Fitr in Jahangirabad, Nazimabad when the victim was travelling with his wife on his motorcycle when at least two unidentified armed motorcyclists opened indiscriminate fire at them. Police officials said that Khalique was shot at least 16 times while the wife was shot twice. Condemning the killing, ANP spokesperson said that the deceased was the president of ANP ward for Jahangirabad. He said that the killing is the continuation of targeted attacks on the party's leaders and workers in the city. He demanded the arrests of the culprits.

Meanwhile, two friends and a passer-by were gunned down in Ibrahim Hyderi. The incident took place on the first day of Eidul Fitr while the two friends were sitting outside a closed hotel in the area. They were shot multiple times. The victims were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where they succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The friends were identified as Aslam Baloch and Maula Buksh while the passer-by was identified as Noor Hassan. SHO Naik Muhammad Jakhrani told The Express Tribune that the two friends were the target of armed assailants riding a motorcycle, adding that stray bullets hit and killed a gypsy who was passing by. The officer said that the police have yet to ascertain the motive behind the incident. However, initial investigations suggest that the incident took place over personal enmity. Further investigations are underway.

Similarly, a 30-year-old man was shot dead at Jhat Pat Market Road, Lyari on Monday, the third day of Eid. The deceased was identified as Muzzamil, son of Azhar Baloch. The body was taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi. Police officials said that the deceased was apparently shot and killed by Lyari gangsters.

Another man, who has yet to be identified, was gunned down near Gharib Shah Mazaar within the limits of the Kalakot police station. The body was moved to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth.

Separately, a 25-year-old man, Muhammad Naveed, was killed in a firing incident in Landhi within the limits of the Quaidabad police station on Monday. Police officials said that the deceased was standing near his house when he was shot and killed by unidentified armed men, apparently over personal enmity.

In another incident on the same day, a young man, who has yet to be identified, was killed in a firing incident in Sultanabad. Police officials said that he was shot by unidentified armed motorcyclists. The body was shifted to the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth for identification.

Meanwhile, the body of an elderly man, bearing marks of torture, was found in Baldia Town within the jurisdiction of the Saeedabad police station on the second day of Eid. The deceased has yet to be identified. The body was shifted to the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth for identification after autopsy at Civil Hospital, Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2015.