KARACHI, Sept 29: In what appears to be a systematic target killing, 25 law enforcement personal comprising 23 policemen and two Rangers officials have been killed and 15 policemen have survived these attacks with bullet injuries since January.

Though the attackers had not been identified yet, nor the police had been able to establish a clear motive behind these killings, it was for sure that they (assailants) had managed to demoralise the law enforcement agencies, especially the police, who were already working in miserable conditions, said a senior police official.

With 23 policemen gunned down in nine months, the city police chief, Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui, sounded quite optimistic that police would soon solve these cases. “We are in the clue-building stage and cannot share any information at this point of time,” he said. However, he acknowledged the involvement of an organised group behind these killings.

So far up to inspector-level officers had been targeted, but they might target senior officers in future, Mr Siddiqui feared.

Requesting anonymity, a senior police official pointed out the lethargic attitude of some senior police officials and said, “They are not perturbed over the fact that men of their own force are being hunted down like cats and dogs. Policemen themselves have become sitting ducks,” he remarked.

The police hierarchy appeared unmoved by the ongoing target killings of policemen in the city, the senior police official observed.

The target killings took a new pattern in June, when eight policemen and two Rangers personal were killed in almost similar execution-like style, targeting them with a single bullet in the head. Almost all the killings took place in Malir and Shah Faisal Town and almost all the targeted policemen were not related to the “Karachi Operation”, a police official said.

Constable Muhammad Imran, 30, was the latest victim of the ongoing target killing. He was shot in the head on Sharea Faisal on the night of Sept 27. He was in uniform and was heading home after performing his duty at the Gulshan-15.

On Sept 18, Head Constable Wakil Ahmed and his friend Zahid, said to be a police informer, were gunned down by unknown men. Both were on a motorcycle when they were shot in the head in Saudabad police limits.

On Sept 15, Head Constable Qamar was shot at in Airport police limits.

On Sept 14, SI Malik Riaz was gunned down near the Karachi Central Prison while he was returning home from Jamshed Quarters Investigation Cell, where he was posted. The victim had suffered a bullet wound in the head, investigators said.

On Sept 1, two personal of Rangers were gunned down in the limits of the Saudabad police station. The killing coincided with a day-long strike called by the Mutthaida Majlis-i-Amal over a host of issues, including the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

The month of July was relatively peaceful as far as the killing of policemen was concerned.

On June 30, Constable Ashraf was gunned down by unknown attackers on Rashid Minhas Road in Sharea Faisal police limits.

On June 29, ASI Manzoor was killed in Landhi area by unknown gunmen.

On June 26, ASI Allah Noor was shot at by unknown persons in Liaquatabad. He later succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

On June 25, Constable Muhammad Ashraf was shot at, but he survived the attack with a bullet injury. The incident took place in Shah Faisal police limits.

On June 23, Sub-inspector Muhammad Nadeem and SI Ijaz

Husain were gunned down separately in Airport and Saudabad police limits.

However, on the contrary the 13 killings which took place between January and June were largely of those police officials, who had some role in the “Karachi Operation”.

On Jan 3, Constable Syed Nazar Imam was shot dead and his wife Bushra was wounded in an attack in Surjani Town.

On Jan 22, ASI Naveed was shot dead by unknown persons in New Karachi. He had taken part in the ‘Karachi operation’, the official data showed.

On Feb 4, SI Muhammad Bakhsh posted at ADRC was shot dead in Ibrahim Hydri police limits.

On Feb 22, Inspector Maqsood Akhtar was shot dead in Orangi Town.

On Feb 27, SI Murtaza Kamal and Head Constable Asif Javed were shot dead by unknown persons in F.B Industrial Area.

On the same day, Head Constable Muhammad Ijaz posted at Korangi police station was shot dead by unknown persons.

On April 7, Head Constable (retired) Nazir Ahmed was gunned down in the limits of Zaman Town police station. He had taken an active role in the Karachi Operation, police record showed.

On June 15, the deputy superintendent of Karachi Jail Amanullah Khan Niaz was gunned down along with his four associates closed to Electronic Market in Saddar.