Enforcing the law: Five killed in encounters

One of the suspects was political worker, according to the family

KARACHI: Rangers personnel claim to have killed two alleged terrorists during an encounter in Taiser Town on Saturday night. “The terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire. They [terrorists] had opened fire at the troops first and the troops fired back in retaliation,” said the Rangers’ statement.

On the other hand, the family of one of the deceased claims he was killed extra-judicially. Muhammad Sultan Mehmood Khan, son of Muhammad Salahuddin Khan, a resident of Shadman Town, was the in-charge of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Unit 133, Shadman Town. He was killed along with his companion who has yet to be identified during the alleged encounter with the Rangers in Taiser Town, a neighbourhood of Surjani Town.

The family termed it a fake encounter, claiming that Khan was picked up by the Rangers on March 29 from his residence. “There is a petition and a case of his abduction registered with the police,” said his brother Subhan Khan, while speaking to The Express Tribune.

Rangers officials and MQM leaders, when contacted, said that they were still trying to get details.

On Thursday night, three MQM workers were killed during an encounter with the Rangers during a raid at Northern Bypass.

Separately, two suspects affiliated with a Lyari-based gang were killed in an alleged encounter with the paramilitary force in the restive neighbourhood. The deceased were later identified as Adnan Baloch and Sajid alias Ganga.

Meanwhile, a suspect, Abdul Wahab, who was wanted to the police in over 45 cases of crime, was killed during an alleged encounter with the police in Orangi Town.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th,  2015.