Karachi News


DAWN/The News International, KARACHI	4 November 2004, Thursday, 20 Ramzan 1425

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One killed, two injured in mosque shooting
ATC reserves order in murder case
Tight security for Qadianis ordered, rocket and grenades recovered
Tribal chieftain gives shelter to 40 women,children in Doag Dara
Troops come under attack in Spinkai Raghzai, 3 missiles defused
Only unpopular rulers secure favour of superpowers, Liaquat Baloch
One killed, two injured in mosque shooting
KARACHI: Unknown gunmen indiscriminately opened fire inside Muhammadi Mosque in Buffer Zone and fled the scene after killing at least one worshipper and injuring Pesh Imam and Moazzin early morning on Wednesday.
People were offering Fajr prayers in Bengali Para, within Taimuria police limits when two armed men entered the prayer area and made people the prey of a shooting spree.
"Such ghastly incident immediately injured three people, including prayers leader Farooq Siddique and Moazzin Sajid Zaman," a man told this correspondent outside the mosque. "It occurred in dark, as the power supply to the area had ironically been cut for minutes as if it was just to cover the event."
The injured were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in critical condition, however 45-year-old Muhammad Ismail breathed his last on his way to hospital.
Eyewitness said that the assailants were four in number who had came in two yellow cabs at around 5:40am. Two of them armed with submachine guns entered the mosque and showered bullets on them.
The police think that this was not a terrorist activity but a targeted killing. However, deputy inspector-general of operations immediately suspended the SHO Taimuria police station for not posting cops at the mosque.
ACCIDENTS: Azeem Ahmed, 30, was knocked down to death when a speeding truck ran over him near Jam Sadiq Bridge in Korangi police limits, while he was going on his motorcycle.
An unidentified, 45-year-old man was crushed under the wheels of apassenger train near Drig Road Railway Station.
Seven passengers of Gul Coach, including Shahid, Akbar Hussain, Abdul Malik, Fayyaz, Nasir, Nisar and Amjad, were injured when speeding Ilyas Coach (PE-4399) dashed into their parked coach (PE-3466) near Custom House, Kharadar police jurisdiction.
DROWN: Decomposed drowned body of an unidentified 30-year-old man was found floating in the sea near Native Jetty Bridge in Jackson police limits. The police shifted the body to the Civil Hospital.
ROBBERIES: Two armed men on a motorcycle intercepted a vehicle of constables Fida Hussain and Zulfiqar in Sohrab Goth police limits when they were patrolling in their area. The miscreants snatched their official weapons and motorcycle (HM-1544) and fled.
Another similar incident took place in Soldier Bazaar police jurisdiction, where two armed men snatched official weapons from constables Naveed and Farhan.
Two armed motorcyclists intercepted Constable Idrees in Korangi police area and fired at him when he resisted their weapon-snatching bid. The robbers managed to escape with his weapon, leaving him behind in an injured condition.
Bandits looted Rs210,000 from Nadeem in Ferozabad area; cash, jewellery and electrical appliances from the residence of Hasnain in Azizabad; cash, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Ahmed in Boat Basin area and cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence of Nasir in New Karachi area.
Unknown people stole cash from the shop of Sarfaraz on Sharea Faisal and cash, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Khalid in Orangi Town.
CRIMINAL ESCAPES: An alleged criminal escaped from police custody on Wednesday.
According to details, ASI Haji Ishtiaq, posted at the Nabi Bukhsh police station, arrested Abid Dacoit allegedly involved in a number of cases. During the initial interrogation, the accused disclosed that he had some arms and ammunition.
On his disclosure, ASI Ishtiaq took him along, raided a hide-out and recovered two TT pistols. Abid managed to escape.
SEIZED: The City Railway Police arrested three people and seized 3.180kg of explosive materials from their possession.
VEHICLES: Carjackers snatched and stole 10 cars and 17 motorcycles from various parts of the city, while city police claimed to have recovered four cars and seven motorcycles.
ATC reserves order in murder case
KARACHI, Nov 3: An anti-terrorism court reserved on Wednesday the judgment in a murder-cum-robbery case against a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 fixed Thursday for the pronouncement of verdict after he heard final arguments from prosecution and defence attorneys.

Nadim alias Chitta has been prosecuted for killing a constable and looting passengers of a mini-bus on April 2, 2000, in Orangi.

According to prosecution, constables Shamim Akhtar and Mohammad Nasir, posted at a nearby picket, reached Islamnagar Chowk where some dacoits held passengers of W-25 hostage at gunpoint and started looting them at 10:30pm. The culprits opened fire on the policemen and fled the scene.

Constable Shamim died instantly as a bullet pierced through his skull. The other constable sustained bullet wound in his right hip.

Injured Nasir, who along with the deceased cop reached the spot in a hired taxi, shifted the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in the same taxi.

The prosecution examined in all 13 prosecution witnesses in the case. The injured cop and the taxi driver, Zubair Ahmed, appeared as two eye-witnesses, who submitted to have seen accused Chitta as one of the dacoits.

Later, on April 20, 2003, the police arrested two workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Shahid and Yousuf were arrested by the Orangi Town police. The two were charge-sheeted before Judge Arshad Noor Khan, who acquitted them.

The injured cop and the taxi driver had also appeared as prosecution witnesses and testified against accused Shahid and Yousuf.

However, the court was of the view that it was practically impossible for a person to identify an accused in a definite manner merely after having momentarily glanced at him.

Tight security for Qadianis ordered, rocket and grenades recovered

RAWALPINDI, Nov 3: The government has directed the law- enforcement agencies to step up security around several senior Qadiani citizens and their worship places in the light of intelligence that terrorists could strike them in the near future , a security source said on Wednesday.

He said in line with the report that someone from Ahmedis could be targeted by terrorists, the interior ministry had directed the provincial governments and the Islamabad administration to tighten security around several Qadianis and their institutions. Earlier, the government had directed the law-enforcement agencies to beef up security for the Japanese embassy and their nationals working on different projects in the country in the wake of an intelligence that incident like the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers could take place.

LAHORE: Officials of intelligence agencies in company with police foiled a sabotage act when they arrested early Wednesday morning two suspected terrorists with six rocket launchers and 10 hand grenades at Shadman.

An intelligence agency source told Dawn that two teams of his department were put on a surveillance on a tip-off that there could be a sabotage activity in the upscale neighbourhood.

He said a rickshaw when signalled to stop tried to accelerate and entered the GOR III. The intelligence agents chased the three-wheeler and opened fire after rounding up the vehicle.

Panic gripped the posh locality where most of the Punjab government senior officials reside. Police scampered there within minutes when a wireless message was radioed. Cantonment SP Waseem Khan and Defence police ASP Humayun Tarar led the law enforcers.

One of the suspects suffered a bullet wound and the other surrendered. Both were taken into custody by the intelligence officials, who recovered six rocket launchers and 10 hand grenades from the rickshaw.

However, the intelligence source identified the injured as Muhammad Kashif, who was under treatment at the safehouse, and the other as Haji Noor, both residents of the NWFP.

"They both appeared to be just carriers. I assure you they were not the actual users of the deadly weapons they were carrying, the source, who was among the interrogators, said.

He quoted the suspects as saying that they were supposed to hand over the weapons to some one outside a mosque at Shadman. "We have been directed to wait outside the mosque."

The source said he was not sure about the affiliations of the suspects, but they both seemed to be the activists of the outlawed Jaish-i-Muhammad. "We, however, are working for its confirmation as the two suspects have been denying their affiliations with anybody since their arrest."

Tribal chieftain gives shelter to 40 women,children in Doag Dara

PESHAWAR: A tribal chieftain in Dir Upper is providing shelter to as many as 40 women and children evicted from their houses in Doag Dara, as the government fails to ensure protection to them against a powerful outlaw.

The family members and close relatives of Mehmud Khan of Shat Kas village have been forced by Haji Muhammad Khan and his men to leave the village after more than 30 houses owned by Mehmud and party were burnt and hundreds of cattle-heads were killed. The family members and relatives of Mehmud took shelter in the houses of distant relatives, but Muhammad Khan warned the families of dire consequences if they continued to give asylum to the uprooted families. However, ministers in the MMA government as well as the district police, continue to play down the case and term it the outcome of a family feud instead of acknowledging this human suffering.

The police spokesman has issued a clarification about the Shat Kas tragedy saying that no casualties have taken place and that this was the result of blood feud between the two families, who happened to be cousins. "What is the need of a police force, when the government cannot establish its writ in the area," asked one Fazle Manan, the name of the source was changed on his request due to his security reasons. "We have not heard of things taking place in Afghanistan during the soviets or in Kashmir. This is true that 40 women and children have taken shelter with me," said Malik Rehmat Said, a tribal chieftain of the area.

Shringal police gave these women and children in the protection of this landlord and powerful tribal chieftain after no one was ready to shelter them due to fear of Muhammad Khan, both the police and the local tribesmen agree. "What happened to the operation? The circles made by three or four planes the previous days had sent a hope among the people and scared the outlaw," said one Mahmud-ul-Haq. Again the name of the person was changed due to his security concern. The Malik said that houses of these women and children have been burnt and they are at the mercy of Allah.

Muhammad Khan is having sophisticated network of communication and is the head of a major gang, which not only operate in the district but also outside to target their opponents. Two other members of the group, Motabar Khan and Sher Muhammad are also dreaded outlaws and involved in dozens of murders while Mehmud is having some support in Bajaur Agency, locals said. "But Mehmud party is too weak and helpless to challenge the might of Muhammad Khan," said the villager. The locals blamed the police for giving favour to Muhammad Khan and even claimed that the outlaw was paying monthlies to the police, a claim did not own by an officer of the concerned police station.

The provincial government at a high level meeting chaired by Secretary Home, Abdul Karim Qasuria in Peshawar approved a grad operation against the outlaw and his network to establish the writ of the government in most parts of Dir Upper.

The provincial government directed the district police to inform the government about the requirements for carrying out such an operation in the remote and mountainous area to bring the outlaw and group to justice and rescue the people.

Muhammad Khan burnt a whole Shittak village killing 14 people in early 1990s and the attack on the village was widely reported by media. Then he repeated the same practice with Dunr village, but no action was taken against him, as the local police could not challenge him with the available force and weapons. Muhammad Khan, a source close to him confided to The News, openly tells people that there is no use of his weapon and communication system worth 15 million, if people would not obey his orders. Sources privy to the negotiations informed, that Muhammad Khan is trying to enter sort of a patch up with the local police through some Jamaat-e-Islami leaders to reduce the mounting pressure on him as well as the police department.

Troops come under attack in Spinkai Raghzai, 3 missiles defused

TANK: Militants attacked military positions in South Waziristan's Spinkai Raghzai area with two rockets on Wednesday. Three missiles were defused near Azam Warsak.

No losses were reported in the two incidents. Sources said the rockets were fired from Khara Leeta in the mountains west of the town at 3pm. The militants slipped away after firing the rockets.

The three missiles were defused in the Azam Warsak area near the same spot where two tribesmen and an Afghan refugee were killed a few days ago at a joint Pakistan Army-Frontier Corps checkpoint. A military spokesman later said the three were miscreants who refused to stop for checking after being waved by the soldiers manning the checkpoint. However, the tribesmen insisted the three men were not involved in acts of terrorism.

Meanwhile, the way was paved for the military to resume search operations beyond Spinkai Raghzai after several days of delay due to the deaths of 15 tribesmen in Shaikh Ziarat by mortar shells.

The search for the militants and illegal arms was suspended to allow tempers to cool down and give time to the civil and military authorities to negotiate with tribal elders to end the crisis. The breakthrough was achieved through a number of Jirgas and after compensation money was paid both the governor and the Corps Commander Peshawar to the heirs of those killed and the wounded men.

The Behlolzais, a sub-tribe of Mahsud tribe, held a Jirga in Spinkai Raghzai where it was decided to cooperate with the military during the search operations in their area and assist in tracking down foreign militants and their local collaborators. The Behlolzai elders formed an 80-member group of armed men to accompany the troops during searches of homes and properties. It was decided that 10-15 tribal elders would also accompany the soldiers during the search operations.

Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt Gen Safdar Hussain has also formed a three-member committee to probe the Shaikh Ziarat incident in which the 15 pro-government tribesmen were killed. The demand for the formation of the committee was made by Behlolzai tribal elders during a recent Jirga that was addressed by Maj Gen Niaz Khattak, General Officer Commanding, Kohat and commander of the ongoing military operations in South Waziristan.

The inquiry committee would comprise tribal elder Malik Azizullah Ishangi, assistant political agent Arshad Naveed, and an unidentified military official. Meanwhile, the government once more started putting pressure on the Yargulkhel sub-tribe of the Ahmadzai Wazirs in Wana by summoning its elders for a meeting with assistant political agent, Khan Bakhsh Marwat, on Wednesday. The elders were reminded of their collective responsibility under the Frontier Crimes Regulations and asked to give guarantees that they would live peacefully, deliver men wanted by the government, and expel all foreigners. Malik Mirzalam, a leading Yargulkhel elder, didn't agree with the assistant political agent on the strategy he had evolved. His opposition prevented an agreement on the issues between the Yargukhels and the assistant political agent. The meeting would be held again after a few days. The Yargulkhel tribal were given a list of 216 wanted men more than two months ago.

LAHORE, Nov 3: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's central leader and MNA Liaquat Baloch has said that only unpopular rulers try to suppress public opinion. He said every section of society in the country condemn such rulers.

Speaking at an iftar party hosted by Punjab University Islami Jamiat-i-Tulaba on the New Campus on Wednesday, he said the unpopular rulers like the existing ones try to secure favours of different super powers.

He said the nation would not allow any ruler to take steps in contravention to the Pakistan Ideology. He said the PU students would continue to play their role to strengthen the country.