23 December 2010
KARACHI: Two activists of political parties and a soldier of the Rangers were killed and a minibus was attacked in separate incidents of firing in different parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Thursday, police said.
The police added that the area reverberated with frequent gunfire forcing shops to shutter and residents to stay indoors during the day after an activist of the Awami National Party was shot dead inside the Rabia City apartments in the early hours of Thursday.
“The ANP activist was killed inside the apartment complex at around 1:30am,” said Shah Faisal Town SP Shad Ibne Masih. He added that the activist, who was later identified as Nadeem, was shot in the head by unidentified suspects who managed to escape.
He said it was quite difficult for an outsider to kill anyone inside the apartment complex and escape without being noticed.
While investigation of the case was under way by the Sharea Faisal police station, unidentified armed men resorted to firing and forced shopkeepers to close businesses in the area during the day.
The SP said that a minibus was also attacked in front of the Baitul Hina Apartments located adjacent to the Rabia City.
He said: “Although the bus driver managed to speed away, at least one woman passenger was wounded in the firing on the minibus. Near Perfume Chowk, the bus driver shifted the wounded woman into an ambulance which rushed the victim to Aga Khan Hospital,” he added.
There were reports of two women being wounded in the firing but only one of them reached the hospital for treatment, the SP added.
While the firing continued with intervals, an activist of the Pakistan People’s Party was killed in Sher Mohammad Goth within the remit of the Gulistan-i-Jauhar, police said.
SSP Naeem Shaikh of Gulshan Town said that Dad Husain Sanjrani was killed when workers said to be associated with the ANP were resorting to firing apparently to force the closure of shops in the area.
“It is not yet clear if Dad Husain Sanjrani was sitting at a shop or had just come out of his house on hearing gunfire,” the SSP added.
Police shifted the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities.
In the late hours, a soldier of Rangers was killed and his brother wounded in another incident of firing near Met Office in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, the police said.
SSP Naeem Shaikh said that Shaukat of Pakistan Rangers and his brother, Ghulam Nabi, were buying fruit from a vendor on University Road near Met Office within in the remit of the Mobina Town police station when they were targeted. “The Rangers man was in plainclothes,” the SSP added.
The police said that Shaukat suffered a fatal bullet wound and reportedly died on the spot. Both the victims were rushed to the JPMC, where Ghulam Nabi was given medical treatment for a gunshot wound.
“Things will be clear once we are able to question the wounded victim,” the SSP added. Following the incident, area police and a large number of Rangers personnel reached the crime-scene.
