Rangers stand alert after the intense firing in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth area. — Photo by Saqib Khan/File

KARACHI, Feb 1: Five men, including two workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, were gunned down in the city on Friday in what police described as acts of targeted killings apparently on political and sectarian grounds.

Even a three-hour suspension of cellular services in the city appeared to be ineffective to stop assassins from carrying out their job.

An activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was gunned down in Orangi Town on Friday morning.

Police said assailants riding a motorcycle targeted Nayyar Ashiq, 30, at Rehmat Chowk in Orangi Town’s Sector 11 ½ when he was returning home on a motorcycle after dropping his child at the school.

The victim was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the police said, adding that he was the joint-in-charge of Unit 119 of the party’s organisational structure.

Earlier, another man associated with the MQM’s labour wing was gunned down and his associate was wounded at the Shorab Goth flyover in the small hours of Friday.

Police said armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire on two men going somewhere in a car within the remit of the Yousuf Plaza police station and escaped.

The victims were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where Mudassir Raheem, 35, was pronounced dead while his associate Wajahat was admitted for treatment.

The deceased was an office-bearer of the MQM’s labour division, the police said.

Two killed in ‘sectarian’ attacks

Two men were gunned down in acts of sectarian killings in the city’s central and east district that took place within a short span of one hour.

In the first such attack, a young man was shot dead in Liaquatabad on Friday evening.

Police said assailants riding a motorbike targeted Syed Ali Mehdi Zaidi, 35, near Liaquatabad Dakkhana, when he was passing through the area on his motorbike. The killers rode away after their swift action.

The wounded victim was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and later shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital where he died during treatment.

DIG-West Javed Odho confirmed that the killing bore a sectarian motive.

Later, another young man selling vegetables on a pushcart was shot dead in Korangi.

Police said that armed men riding a motorcycle fired at Syed Ali Hasan Naqvi, 48, near Bismillah Bakery in Korangi 4 within the remit of the Awami Colony police station and escaped.

The shooting caused panic and the people ran for cover.

The victim died before he could be taken to a hospital, the police said. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

He was father of four.

Following the killing, tension gripped the locality where shops were shut amid fear.

A senior police officer said the murder appeared to be linked with the ongoing spate of sectarian killings taking place in the city.

A spokesman for the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen condemned the killings and said that the government had miserably failed to protect the life and property of the citizens.

Killing in old city area

A young man was killed in the Ranchhore Line area on Friday.

Police said that two men riding a motorcycle targeted Mohammad Yasir, 22, in Ranchhore Line within the remit of the Nabi Bakhsh police station and fled.

The victim was standing near a paan cabin when the assailants targeted him. He was taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where he died during treatment.

A Pakistan People’s Party statement said the victim was a son of a senior party worker, Farooq Ghanchi.

It condemned the targeted killing and demanded that the killers be brought to justice.

Body found

The body of an unidentified young man was found in the Bin Qasim area on Friday.

Police said the body was found within the remit of the Sukkan police station at a desolate place near the wall of the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory.

A duty officer at the Sukkan police station said that the victim appeared to be in his early 30s.

“Apparently, the body did not bore any gunshot wound. It was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities to ascertain the cause of death,” he said.