The Sindh police chief on Wednesday urged citizens of Karachi to use licensed weapons for self-defence against criminals and praised efforts of citizens who had recently shot robbers in Nazimabad.
Addressing a press conference, Inspector-General Sindh Allah Dino Khawaja encouraged citizens to use their licensed weapons for self-defence against criminals and robbers, instead of keeping them for mere decoration and showoff.
“If a citizen owns a licensed weapon then that means they have the legal right to use it for self-defence,” the police chief said.
Khawaja awarded Rs 50,000 prize to citizen Yasir Jamil for his “valiant” efforts against alleged robbers.
Two suspected robbers were shot dead by Yasir when they tried to loot him in Nazimabad No.1 late on Sunday evening, the Rizvia Society police said.
The suspects, riding a motorbike, reportedly intercepted Yasir’s family travelling in a car in Urdu Bazaar area with the intention of robbery. “Yasir, who had a licenced pistol, opened fire on them,” said SSP Investigation Central Arab Mahar.
“One suspect died on the spot while the other succumbed to his wounds during treatment at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Their identity could not be ascertained immediately,” he said.
The senior police officer added that the citizen also had left the scene by the time police arrived there. However, quoting witnesses, the SSP investigation central said that the men killed in the incident were “robbers”. The officer further said that they were investigating the case.
Addressing the press conference, Khawaja praised the efforts of the police in cracking down on criminals and terrorists, saying that it is the duty of the police to help the citizens and that it is to everyone’s advantage if people use guns to fight crime in the city.
Talking about the recent attack on army personnel in Karachi, the IG Sindh said that had the citizens cooperated that day, the gunmen could have been caught and brought to justice.
Two Pakistan Army personnel were martyred last month when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the congested, downtown Saddar area of Karachi.