16 fall prey to violence
KARACHI:
Sixteen people were gunned down in drive-by shootings in Karachi a day after the Sindh government banned motorcycle pillion riding. The city has witnessed a spike in sectarian violence in recent days and the wave claimed seven more lives on Saturday.
Six students of a Deoband seminary were gunned down in a targeted attack by unidentified assailants, who fired a volley of bullets at the victims sitting at a roadside teashop in Block-2, Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
At least four armed men on two motorcycles opened fire at the seminary students with 9mm pistols, Gulshan SHO Rana Haseeb told The Express Tribune. The police officer believed the attack may have been in reaction to the targeted killings of Shias in Karachi.
Hafiz Abdul Khaliq, Hafiz Imran Abdullah, Hafiz Shams-ur-Rahman, Hafiz Habib Ahmed Khan, Hafiz Mohibullah and Hakim Saeed died on the spot while eight more students and the hotel owner were injured.
The victims were taken to the Jinnah hospital, where a large number of people arrived to protest against the attack. Routine activities in Gulshan-e-Iqbal came to a halt as extra contingents of law enforcers were called in.
Five of the victims were students of Jamia Arabia Ahsanul Uloom while Mohibullah was a student at Jamia Abu Bakar Islamia.
Four students and a religious leader of the same seminary – Jamia Arabia Ahsanul Uloom – have been gunned down within the past one month.
Another man of the Deoband sect was shot dead near the KDA Chowrangi in North Nazimabad. Irfan Mohammad Jamshed, 28, was targeted by two armed attackers on a motorcycle, Hyderi police said. The body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The victim was the information secretary of ASWJ’s North Nazimabad unit.
Two more people were gunned down in North Nazimabad near the Saifi College. Syed Tariq Hussain, 47, and Aslam Raja, 53, were shot dead by armed motorcyclists. Hussain was the editor of a weekly magazine named Roshan Dia while Raja was a reporter.
In Korangi’s Jumma Goth, an activist of the Pakistan Peoples Party, identified as Akhtar Hussain Kalmati, 20, was gunned down near his home by two armed men on a motorcycle, said Ibrahim Hyderi police. His body was taken to the Jinnah hospital and handed over to the family after medico-legal formalities.
Taufeeq Arain was gunned down inside his car near Shadman Town by two armed men on a motorcycle, Taimuria police said.
Masood Ali, 18, was killed and Talha, 19, was wounded in a targeted attack in Korangi. The victims had gone to pay a utility bill when unidentified assailants fired at them after an exchange of hot words, Awami Colony police said.
Four alleged gangsters of a notorious Lyari group were shot dead in the Old Golimar area. The victims, identified as Munawar, Shahid, Babar and Qadir, were associated with the Baba Ladla group, Pak Colony police said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2012.
16 fall prey to violence – The Express Tribune
Another 20 gunned down in Karachi
KARACHI, Nov 10: At least 20 people lost their lives in Karachi on Saturday — almost half of them being victims of the ongoing wave of sectarian killings — as a helpless citizenry wondered when a clueless administration would step in to confront the killers on the loose.
The bloodshed coincided with the presence of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and some of his key cabinet members in the city.
In the deadliest episode of the day, six students of a seminary were gunned down in an armed attack on a roadside tea shop in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Police said students of Madressah Ahsan-ul-Uloom — all in their early 20s — were targeted by at least six men. Seven other students suffered injuries.
They struck in North Nazimabad twice within an hour, killing at least three people.
In a late-night incident, a political worker was gunned down in Khokhrapar, Malir. Police said armed men on a motorcycle targeted 35-year-old Saleem Qureshi near a bus stop.
“He was hit by two bullets and died on the spot,” said an official at the Khokhrapar police station. “The victim had a history of political activism and once he was associated with the MQM-H. His body was taken to Jinnah Hospital for medico-legal formalities.”
In Shadman Town, 40-year-old Tauseef Arain was shot dead while he was sitting inside his car near a shopping centre. A police official said the victim was hit by a bullet fired by miscreants trying to intimidate shopkeepers into pulling down their shutters.
In the wee hours of the day, four youngsters were found shot dead in Pak Colony area, neighbouring Lyari town. Police believed that the incident was part of a rivalry between two criminal gangs operating in Lyari.
A worker of the Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat was gunned down by armed men in North Nazimabad when he was riding home.
Life came to a standstill in several parts of districts west, central and east. Heavy contingents of police backed by the paramilitary Rangers were deployed in the affected areas, but no arrest was made.
“On the face of it, there is no other reason than tit-for-tat killing on sectarian grounds,” said DIG east Shahid Hayat, when asked about the suspected motive behind the fresh killings. “Unless other aspect is proved, we believe there is sectarianism behind the recent killings carried out in different parts of Karachi.”
The killing attracted serious criticism and anger from the Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, but a senior leader of the banned outfit did not sound convinced with the police argument seeing ‘third party’ exploiting the situation to affect the sectarian harmony ahead of Muharram.
“There are visible, organised and coordinated efforts behind the recent killings,” said Maulana Taj Hanaji of the Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat. “One day you see people from Shia sect are targeted and on the other day we see Sunnis are being attacked. The administration has failed in recognising the conspiracy behind the brutal trend and arresting the killers. An indiscriminate operation like Swat and Waziristan is the only option left to restore peace in Karachi.”
A traffic constable Mohamamd Saeed was killed in Shirin Jinnah Colony by unknown gunmen.
In Sharifabad, Mohammad Umar was shot dead and his five friends were injured when gunmen opened fire. Asad Raza, a son of IB director Qamar Raza, was among the injured. Qamar Raza was gunned down in July this year.
Quite late but the situation also set alarm bells ringing in the power corridors. President Asif Ali Zardari called Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to express his concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi.
“The president asked the chief minister to ensure safety of life and property of citizens. He has also directed for immediate measures to stop killings and restore peace in Karachi,” the state television reported late on Saturday.
http://dawn.com/2012/11/11/another-20-gunned-down-in-karachi/
