• Opposition parties blame PPP govt, law enforcers for failing to curb violent street crime
• Gulshan SHO suspended as murder probe underway

KARACHI: The murder of a young engineer by robbers has sparked widespread anger among opposition political parties as they lashed out at the Pakistan Peoples Party government in Sindh as well as law enforcement agencies for failing to curb the menace of street crime in the metropolis.

On Saturday evening, 27-year-old Itteqa Moeen, a gold medallist mechanical engineer, was gunned down by armed robbers who took away his motorbike, cell phone and cash in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

While the opposition parties like the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf condemned the killing and demanded immediate arrest of the killers, the PTI called upon the authorities to launch a grand operation against street criminals and the MQM-P wanted judiciary to take suo motu notice of the frequent killings.

The victim’s family said it was unfortunate that the educated and talented persons who chose not to go abroad and preferred to stay in the country have been left at the mercy of criminals.

Probe underway as murder FIR lodged

The Gulshan-i-Iqbal police registered a case under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code against unknown persons on the complaint of victim’s elder brother Usman Moeen.

Special Investigation Unit (SIU) SSP Adeel Husain told Dawn that the specialised unit of the police was investigating the case.

He said that one spent bullet casing fired from a 9mm pistol was collected from the scene of crime. He said that the investigators also acquired CCTV footage of the incident.

Investigating Officer of the case Rana Shaukat said CCTV footage showed that the victim had put up ‘some resistance’.

Meanwhile, SSP-East Dr Farrukh Raza suspended Gulshan SHO Abdul Rasool Bughio and ordered a departmental inquiry against him over failure to control crimes.

Victim laid to rest

The funeral prayers for the young engineer were held at a local mosque near NIPA. A large number of people, his relatives and politicians also attended his last rites.

Ebad Moeen, one of the victim’s brothers, told the media that after completing degree in mechanical engineering, his brother was doing an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration.

He said he was also a Hafiz-i-Quran and currently working with a private firm. He said that Itteqa had six brothers and one sister and he got married last year.

He said that his brother was returning home and the robbers intercepted him near his residence. He said his brother did not offer any resistance.

He regretted that mostly young people were being killed by robbers on a daily basis whether they put up resistance or not.

Muttahida terms killing ‘genocide’

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Ali Khursheedi also attended the funeral prayers.

Talking to the media, he said that around 60 Karachiites had been killed by robbers in the city in the past few months, but the Sindh government was doing nothing to stop these killings.

He said that there was also a question mark on the performance of the federal government and it seemed that the “Centre is only interested in collecting taxes from Karachi”.

Later in the evening, senior MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal said that the people of Karachi were being targeted under a conspiracy.

He was of the view that the judiciary should take suo motu notice of what he called the “genocide” of the people of Karachi.

JI questions law enforcers’ performance

Talking to the media at the funeral, JI-Karachi chief Munim Zafar also expressed his anger over the continued killing of youth in street crime.

In the evening, JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman visited the residence of the slain youth and offered his condolence with the bereaved family.

He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party was ruling the province for the past 16 years but practically it had done nothing for the people of Karachi.

He questioned the performance of police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies and said that street criminals had been killing people with impunity.

PTI blamed Sindh govt for lawlessness

Meanwhile, PTI-Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh said: “Robbers have been killing our children as peace has been destroyed in Karachi because the police have become politicised.”

He said that the Sindh government had completely failed to maintain law and order.

Mr Sheikh said that the police were busy detaining PTI workers while dacoits were roaming freely. He demanded an operation against robbers.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2024