KARACHI, May 6: A fisherman was gunned down and two senior Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum members were found dead in different parts of Keamari within a few hours on Friday, police and PFF leaders said.

The killings sparked a prolonged protest by fishermen who blocked a road along the Karachi Fish Harbour as well as the Jinnah Bridge and ICI Bridge, causing massive traffic jams on I.I. Chundrigarh Road and other connecting arteries.

The protest that began early in the morning continued till late evening hours.

“People from two groups in Khagga Village having a long-running property dispute clashed in the early hours of Friday,” said SP Tariq Mughal of Keamari Town.

“Firing by one of the groups left 45-year-old Moosa Ismail dead. He represented the group reportedly led by Haji Younus. The body was handed over to the family after medico-legal formalities at the Civil Hospital Karachi.”

The incident caused anger among the fishermen and sowed fear in the locality.

An FIR (154/2011) was later registered at the Mauripur police station under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code against Haji Abu Bakar, Muhammad Ejaz, Ghulam Muhammad and Muhammad Ishaq.

However, the situation turned ugly when one of the accused named in the FIR, Haji Abu Bakar, and another PFF member, Abdul Ghani, were found dead near the Sandspit beach.

PFF leaders said both senior members had been 'kidnapped' after the firing incident in Khagga Village.

However, the SP said, “The police were not approached by any group or individual after they had allegedly gone missing.”

He said the bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for a post-mortem examination though an initial report said no torture marks or life-threatening wounds were found on the bodies. “The doctors we spoke to said that both the men died from drowning. Subsequently, we informed the families and the community, yet they insisted that the two were kidnapped and murdered,” said SP Mughal, adding that the police had finally registered an FIR.

The Docks police station registered the FIR (93/2011) under Section 302 of the PPC against Haji Younus and others.

However, the police remained unable to arrest any suspect nominated in both FIRs.

Meanwhile, the PFF announced that it would observe three-day mourning over the killings of its two leaders.