DSP traffic, police constable shot dead in Karachi's Azizabad

Published August 11, 2017
Investigators inspect a police vehicle after it was attacked by gunmen in Karachi. —AFP
Investigators inspect a police vehicle after it was attacked by gunmen in Karachi. —AFP

A deputy superintendent of traffic police and his driver were shot dead in Karachi's Azizabad area on Friday morning.

As per initial reports, DSP Hanif was on his way to office from home when unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle in the Hussainabad neighbourhood of Azizabad, said SSP Central Muqadas Haider.

The bodies of DSP Hanif and the driver, constable Sultan, were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The martyred policement were laid to rest later the same day. Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal, IGP Sindh A.D Khawaja and and Corps Commander Karachi Shahid Baig Mirza attended the funeral of the slain police personnel among others.

A new terrorist group, Ansar-ul-Shariah Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the incident in pamphlets left at the site of the attack.

Soon after the incident, police and other law enforcement personnel reached the scene and started an investigation after collecting evidence.

Additional IG (AIG) Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo, while talking to reporters, said bullet shells shot from a 9mm pistol were found at the scene.

Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal sought a report on the killings from AIG Thebo and announced a Rs10 million reward for anyone assisting in the arrest of the culprits.

The home minister directed security to be kept on high alert in the metropolis and efforts be made to arrest the attackers soon.

IG Sindh A.D. Khawaja separately sought a detailed inquiry report into the incident from the Deputy Inspector General — West.

He said the militants involved in the last two attacks on police personnel have been traced, and those behind today's killings will be brought to book as well.

Wave of targeted attacks

Friday's attack on police personnel is the latest in a series of assaults on law enforcers in the city in recent months.

On July 24, assailants riding a motorbike shot dead a traffic police constable and wounded another on busy Abul Hasan Ispahani Road in the Gulshan-i-Iqbal area.

That incident, the second one in less than four days as three policemen were earlier killed in Korangi on July 21, had left a question mark over the effectiveness of the targeted operation in Karachi and the performance of the law enforcement agencies.

Following the attack, IG Khawaja had issued new guidelines for the force across the city. He had directed the policemen to follow standard operating measures (SOPs) during routine businesses.

Besides this, he also imposed a fresh set of measures, including regular firing exercises, deployment of young policemen at public places and replacement of old fleet of vehicles with new ones.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.