KARACHI, Oct 27: Four people, including a prayer leader, were killed on Monday when over two dozen attackers opened fire on a mosque in a shantytown in Mochko. Elsewhere in the city, five people, including two political workers, were killed in acts of violence, police and witnesses said.
The police said a group of land grabbers opened fire on the mosque at Asr prayer. They said prayer leader Qari Alam Zeb, 27, his deputy, Qari Shamsul Haq, 25, and two worshippers, Mohammed Kamal, 26, and Abdul Malik, were killed instantly in the attack.
One of the mosque’s caretakers, Maulana Rafi, told newsmen that the group of attackers came to the mosque and asked them to vacate it. They said the attackers opened fire after an exchange of hot words and fled.The SP of Baldia Town, Mohammed Ali Wassan, told Dawn that two groups of land grabbers exchanged fire with the police and Rangers in the jurisdiction of Orangi Town and Mominabad police before they entered Qaimkhani Colony in Mochko, crossing through the hill separating Baldia Town from Orangi Town.
“Perhaps they opened fire on the mosque to divert the attention of the law enforcers,” he added.
Tension and panic gripped the locality as the enraged people did not let the authorities shift the bodies to hospital for medico-legal proceedings till late in the night.
The area people alleged that the administration and the police were in league with the land grabbers.
They said two of the victims were from the NWFP and the other two were from Gilgit.
The DIG of West, Aleem Jafferi, told Dawn that a heavy contingent of police and Rangers had been deployed in the affected areas. “The situation has been brought under control,” he said.
MQM man gunned down
A 40-year-old worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was shot dead in New Karachi.
The New Karachi Industrial Area police said Mohammed Liaquat, son of Sharfuddin, was killed when unknown attackers opened fire on him at around 2pm near a ground in Sector 5-G.
The police said the victim was a tailor and worker of the MQM.
They said no case was registered till late in the night as the victim’s family was busy in the funeral.
Residents said tension gripped the locality following the killing of the Muttahida worker.
They said the area wore a deserted look as the shopkeepers pulled down the shutters.
PPP worker shot dead
A 36-year-old man was killed and another wounded when unknown attackers opened fire near the Mama Hotel at Baldia Town No 7.
The police said the deceased, Hameed Gul, son of Majeed Gul, was a worker of the Pakistan People’s Party.
They said the PPP worker died instantly. The police said a cigarette vendor was also wounded in the firing.
The dead and the injured were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where sources said the injured was in a stable condition.
They said the PPP worker had received three bullets in the upper torso.
Contractor killed
A 26-year-old man was shot dead near his home in Labour Colony in Site.
The police said the victim, Mohammed Liaquat, son of Mohammed Zaman, was walking home at around 12.30am on Monday, when two attackers on a motorcycle opened fire on him.
They said the victim, a garment contractor, was hit by three bullets and died instantly.
The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a postmortem examination. Sources at the hospital’s medico-legal section said the victim had received three bullets in his upper torso from a very close range.
A case against unknown assailants was registered under sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Mohammed Aslam.
The police said the incident seemed motivated by a personal enmity.
Slaughtered
A 35-year-old man was found slaughtered in his home (126/19) at Sector 11-D in New Karachi.
The police said that unknown culprits slit the throat of Mohammed Shabbir, son of Habib Qureshi, in the small hours of Monday.
They said the victim, father of three minor children, was a book binder at Urdu Bazaar, and he was living in a joint family.
The police said no case had been registered till late as they were still waiting for a complainant from the victim’s family, who were busy in the funeral.
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