KARACHI, Jan 21: Two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were gunned down in a targeted attack in North Karachi on Monday, police said, claiming to have arrested one of the attackers.

MQM activists Mohammad Adnan, 35, and Amir Iqbal, 30, both KMC employees of the North Karachi town office, were targeted near Do-Minute Chowrangi while they were heading to their office, said North Karachi SP Syed Salman Hussain.

They were followed by two men riding a motorcycle within the remit of the Khawaja Ajmair Nagri police station before being shot at, the officials said. Both activists sustained gunshot wounds in the head and died at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, the police added.

“After hearing the gunshots, two police constables posted at a nearby Soneri Bank fired at the fleeing attackers,” the SP said. “One of the suspected attackers fell from the bike, while his accomplice managed to flee,” he added.

The wounded suspect, identified as Sajid, was said to be associated with ‘gang warfare’, the officer said.

He added that a 9mm pistol was seized from his possession.

Muttahida Quami Movement chief Altaf Hussain condemned the killing of Mohammad Adnan and Amir Iqbal, workers of the New Karachi sector, unit 142, of the party’s organisational structure.

He expressed his sympathies with the grieving family and said the sacrifice rendered by elected representatives and workers of the MQM would not go in vain.

Condemning the murder, the co-ordination committee of the MQM called it a continuation of the evil conspiracy aimed at destabilising the city’s peace.

The coordination committee said that certain elements were targeting elected representatives and workers of the MQM as well as leaders and activists of other political and religious parties in order to destabilise the country.

It demanded that President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah take notice of the killings of the MQM workers by ‘terrorists’.

The committee also sought severe action against the terrorists who were involved in the killing of elected representatives, office-bearers and workers of the MQM.

Three killed in Lyari

Three men were found shot dead at separate places in Lyari on Monday, police said.

The police added that a body bearing torture marks was found near Rahmania Chowk within the remit of the Kalri police station.

The victim, believed to be in his early 20s, had been subjected to torture and shot in the head, the police said. They shifted the body to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

The body of another unidentified man stuffed in a gunny bag was found at Kashti Chowk within the remit of the Napier police station.

The body bore torture marks besides a gunshot wound, the police said. They shifted the body to Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

The police believed that both victims had been kidnapped and killed before their bodies were dumped.

In yet another incident, the body of a young man was found near Crown Cinema within the remit of the Kalri police station on Monday morning, officials said.

They added that the victim had also been shot dead.

The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi where he was identified as Abid Pervaiz.

The officials said he was wanted in a drug case by the New Karachi police.

The police said that the victim had gone out on Sunday night, but didn’t return home.

A senior police officer of the area said the killing seemed to be the result of flexing of muscles by two political groups.