KARACHI, July 30: As ministers, political activists and members of civil society converged in the southern district of the city on Saturday to denounce the recent wave of terrorism, peace remained a distant dream for Karachiites as at least 10 more people, including two brothers, were gunned down in the metropolis, mainly in its eastern and western parts.

Though police said that one or two of the killings were result of personal enmity, the investigators could not find such a link behind the incidents.

Apart from armed attacks in different areas, parts of Landhi remained hotspots, where a deadly gunbattle and hand-grenade attacks left two political activists dead and two minor boys wounded as daily life in the neighbourhood remained paralysed.

“The two victims have been identified as Azeem alias Mota and Dilshad alias Khan Saab,” Naeem Barokha, the DIG-East, told Dawn. “The affected areas included Sherpao Colony and Landhi 89.”

Area police said both victims, in their mid-30s, were members of the Amir Khan-led faction of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-H) and had rejoined the Muttahida Qaumi Movement recently.

“They became MQM activists after their leader Amir Khan joined the party with his workers and supporters. Residents of Landhi, both were killed near Hussaini Chowrangi near the Quaidabad police station,” said DSP Badar Ali Shah, the area's supervisory police officer.

“There has been an armed clash between two parties but we have isolated and cordoned off the strife-hit pockets so that the violence does not spread further. We are in the final phase of planning and will enter the affected areas with police commandoes and Rangers.”

In an early morning incident, two brothers working with a transporter were killed in Pak Colony when they were waiting for the family which had booked a bus for a function. The area police said the armed riders targeted Sadaqat Ali and his younger brother Murtaza Ali, who worked as a driver and a cleaner of the bus, respectively, in Bismillah Colony.

“They had come to pick up a family in the area and were waiting for them to get onto the bus at the corner of a street,” said Inspector Shakeel Sherwani, the SHO of the Pak Colony police station. “As the two brothers were waiting inside the parked bus, two men on a motorbike arrived there and fired at them. Both sustained multiple bullets and died on the spot. According to witnesses, the attackers were being protected by two more riders on another bike.”

A political activist met with the same fate in Orangi Town.

Area police said gunmen on a motorbike spotted 30-year-old Zahid Saeed in Chishti Nagar in Sector 11½ of the town.

“He was a cable operator and lived in the same area,” said Inspector Matiullah, the SHO of the Iqbal Market police station.

Though he denied any political association of the victim, police sources said Zahid was an area worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

In a Korangi locality, the police found the bodies of two young men, stuffed in a gunny bag. They said the victims were hit by a single bullet each in the head. Besides, signs of severe torture were visible on their bodies.

“The bodies were found at an isolated place called Band No 5 of Shah Faisal Naddi,” said Sub-Inspector Waheed Iqbal, the acting SHO of the Korangi Industrial Area police station. “Both victims appear to be in their late 20s or early 30s. Their bodies were stuffed in gunny bags while their hands and legs were tied with ropes. The bodies were shifted to the Edhi morgue for want of identification after medico-legal formalities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.”

In the neighbouring town of Landhi, the bullet-riddled body of another young man was found.

Police said the victim, later identified as Umair, son of Wasim, was hit by three bullets fired from a very close range.

“The area where the body was found is called Khurramabad. The body was lying abandoned along the boundary wall of a government school called Rafiq-un-Nisa Primary School,” said Inspector Mazhar Iqbal Awan, the SHO of the Landhi police station. “The victim was wearing trousers and shirt. We could only determine his identity through an ID card found in his pocket, which showed he was a resident of Orangi Town.”

Another killing was reported in the same town when 44-year-old Gul Shah was killed in firing.

Police said the victim hailed from South Waziristan and might have been targeted for personal enmity.

“We have also found bullets of .222 rifle from the victim’s pocket. He was killed in Bhutto Nagar in the Landhi 89 area,” said the SHO of the Landhi police station.

A man driving a car was ambushed Near Safoora Chowrangi in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Police said 40-year-old Ghulam Rabbani was attacked as he slowed down at the Safoora Chowrangi.

“He was a resident of an apartment in Gulistan-i-Jauhar and we think he was being followed by the armed riders who struck him near the Safoora Chowrangi. The victim’s family denies his association with any political or other group,” said Shabbir Mustafa, the SHO of the Sachal police station.