Another spell of violence besieged the volatile city of Karachi as at least 10 people, including the wife and daughter of a Balochistan Assembly member, were killed in different incidents of violence in the last 24 hours.
The MPA’s wife and daughter were killed in Clifton Block-09 along with their driver. The Clifton Police station house officer (SHO) said two unidentified gunmen had stopped their car (registration number ANR-353) and opened fire at them, killing 35-year-old Zamrah, the wife of MPA Sardar Bakhtiar Domki, Janaan, their 13-year-old daughter, and the family’s 36-year-old driver Barkat. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) South Naeem Sheikh said police had found 9mm bullet casings from the scene of the murders. A first information report (FIR) (No 27/12) under Section 302/34 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) had been registered on behalf of the state against unidentified culprits at the Clifton Police Station, he added.
In a separate incident, a man and a woman were killed and two other people were injured when unidentified gunmen attacked a mobile phone service provider’s office in North Nazimabad Block-B. The victims were identified as Faiza Zeeshan, 26, and Mazhar Butt, 45. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) West Imran Yaqoob claimed the attack might have been carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. In yet another incident, a doctor was killed near Malir Halt while he was on his way to his clinic. Saudabad Police SHO Zulfiqar Bajwa said the victim, identified as Dr Ashfaq, subscribed to the Deobandi school of thought and was likely killed because of his religious leaning. He said the doctor’s murder was likely part of the current spree of sectarian violence in the city. Late on Tuesday night, another four people were killed in various parts of the city. A 30-year-old man was gunned down by unidentified men the Shah Latif Police precincts. Police said the body was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) but the identity of the victim could not be ascertained.
An 18-year-old boy was shot dead in Mughal Hazara Goth, Gulistan-e-Johar Block-3. Officials at the local police station identified the victim as Naeem Abbas, son of Ansar Ali, and claimed he was another victim of sectarian violence.
A 45-year-old man was killed in Pathan Goth in the SITE area. Officials at the local police station identified the man as Umar Rehman son of Aziz-ur-Rehman. A 27-year-old man was gunned down in Ramswami in the Garden Police precincts. The victim was identified as Muhammad Ahmed. The reasons behind these murders could not be determined immediately.