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PPP, MQM activists shot dead in separate incidents
4 killed in Baldia mosque shoot-out
2 men killed
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PPP, MQM activists shot dead in separate incidents
An activist belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was shot dead in the Baldia Town police limits, while an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was killed in the New Karachi Industrial Area.
Hameed Gul, 25, was shot dead in the Baldia Town police limits. The police said that they received information that a body was lying in Baldia No 7. During inquiry, the witnesses said that the deceased was passing through the street, when two masked armed motorcyclists, after using abusive language, opened indiscriminate fire and fled. As a result, Hameed died on the spot.
The deceased was the resident of Naiabadi, Saeedabad and was an active activist of the PPP. A case was reported at the police station.
In a separate case, unidentified armed motorcyclists shot and killed an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the New Karachi Industrial Area police limits. The police said that the deceased was identified as Liaquat Iqbal, 40, a resident of Sector-11G.
The deceased was also running a tailor’s shop, a short distance away from his house. On Monday afternoon, while he was busy at work, two armed motorcyclists shot Iqbal and fled. The police said that the deceased was married and leaves behind four children was an activist of the MQM. A case was reported at the police station.
4 killed in Baldia mosque shoot-out
Around 20 to 22 unidentified criminals, armed with lethal weapons, broke into the Moachko area on Monday afternoon, threatened the residents to leave the area and later went to a mosque in the locality and killed two Pesh Imams and two worshipers inside.
Qari Alam Zaib, the Pesh Imam, Qari Shams, the Naib-Peshimam, and two worshippers, Mohammed Kamal and Abdul Malik were shot dead by the criminals. According to SSP, SITE Town, Mohammed Ali Wasaan, the incident was reported inside the Jamia Siddiq-i-Akber, situated in Qaim Khani Colony and the incident occurred about 5.45 p.m. when the worshippers and Pesh Imam were offering Asr prayers. He added that the violence was part of a clash between two groups over possession of some land in the area.
After the prayers, some unidentified people, who witnesses claimed belonged to a political group, came and opened indiscriminate fire within the mosque and killed the four men, and fled.
Corroborating the police version, the residents and worshippers in the area said that they had heard, from various circles, that two groups were fighting for possession of a piece of land in Pakistan Bazaar and Mominabad areas, which had resulted in a heavy gun-battle.
Later in the afternoon, they had been informed that the matter was resolved as a heavy contingency of police and Rangers controlled the area. However, after Asr prayers concluded and worshippers were returning from the mosque, around 22 persons, posing as members of a political group, came and threatened them to leave the area or face dire consequences.
In the meantime, the criminals headed for the Jamia Siddiqi-i-Akber mosque and opened indiscriminate fire killing both Pesh Imams and two worshippers and fled by firing in the air and threatening those around them to move out of the way. After the incident, the residents blocked the road to vehicular traffic and started protesting. The bodies kept lying inside the mosque for hours. Only after Maghreb prayers were the bodies shifted to hospital mortuaries.
The protesters alleged that the killers were not Muslims. The mob turned violent and started pelting vehicles with stones and burning tyres. Later, a heavy contingency of police and Rangers reached the spot and, after hours of struggle, dispersed the mob.
The police said that, the deceased Pesh Imams Qari Alam and Qari Shams were from Gilgit. Worshippers Mohammed Kamal and Abdul Malik were the residents of the area, labourers by profession, and belonged to the NWFP. A case was reported at the police station. Till the filing of this report a tense situation prevailed in Baldia Town, Moachko and Saeedabad areas with reports of sporadic aerial firing and shops remaining closed.
2 men killed
Muhammad Liaquat, 45, was gunned down, when unidentified people riding a motorcycle fired at him in New Labour Square situated in SITE police jurisdiction, while he was going towards his residence. The Chippa volunteers took his body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) for legal formalities.
According to the police the deceased worked as a dealer at a local factory. The police claimed that the murder was due to an old enmity. Meanwhile, Muhammad Basheer, 35, was slaughtered, when unidentified people broke into his residence 126/19 situated in Sector 11/D, New Karachi and slit his throat, while he was sleeping.
In the morning, his wife and children found discovered Basheer’s body splattered with blood. Upon their scream the area people rushed to the spot.Later they informed the police about the incident. The mobile van of the said police station reached the spot and shifted his body to ASH for an autopsy. According to the police the murder was due to some personal enmity.
The government spokesman said the institutions responsible for national security should be kept beyond such political statements, which are only issued for vested interests and to gain political mileage.
The spokesman said Qazi Husain’s statement itself accomplishes an anti-state agenda that seeks to create a wedge between the civilians and the military and also aims to lower the morale of the security forces.
The spokesman said instead of levelling allegations, Qazi Husain should play his role in helping the government in its efforts for resolving the issue through peaceful means. It is unfortunately out of political expediency that the JI Ameer has left the country at the mercy of terrorism and extremism, the spokesman said. The security forces are carrying out operations on the directives of the government to restore its writ in the FATA and Swat, the spokesman concluded.
They said that Omar’s two elder brothers, Eida Jan and Shakum, and three nephews were also killed in the midnight air strike. Eida Jan was also harbouring militants in the area.
Residents said that a portion of the compound was targeted in Mandata Village of Shakai valley, some 25 kilometres north of Wana. Locals retrieved bodies and the injured from the destroyed compound. Two nearby homes were partially damaged in the attack.
The dead were buried in Wana and Shakai while two injured people were taken to a government hospital.
Omar was stated to be a close associate of the late Commander, Nek Muhammd, who was killed in a missile attack in Wana in June 2004.