KARACHI: In what can be described as a deadly mix of gun culture and spoiled rich kids taking great pleasure in breaking the law with complete impunity, another youth becomes the victim of such cold-blooded violent behaviour and revenge killing in yet another reminiscences of 2012 murder of Shahzeb Khan by Shahrukh Jatoi and his aides and the 2014 murder of Suleman Lashari by his rich classmate and son of senior police officer Salman Abro in DHA.

Police on Thursday launched an investigation into the murder of 19-year-old Jazlan Sabir, who was shot dead and his 20-year-old-friend Shah Mir Ali was wounded allegedly by some youths after a scuffle on road when the victims raised objections to their reckless late-night bike-riding in Bahria Town Karachi on Wednesday.

Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur said that Gadap City police had registered an FIR on the complaint of the deceased’s uncle, Arif Sabir, against four persons, including three brothers. He said one nominated accused Hasnain Faiz had already been arrested and efforts were under way to arrest the absconding suspects.

Young Jazlan was shot dead by rowdy youths in Bahria Town Karachi after a squabble over biking

Unlicensed weapon

Malir SSP (Investigation) Arab Mahar told Dawn that police were conducting raids for arrest of remaining three suspects.

He said the suspects were teenagers and he did not think that they possessed licence of the pistol. The investigators were also trying to recover the weapon used in the murder, he added.

The SSP regretted that children of certain influential families, which had money or power tended to fight over minor issues, resulting in such tragic incidents. He lamented that a quarrel has also recently taken place between the youths over bike-racing inside Malir Cantonment.

According to the contents of the FIR, complainant Arif Sabir stated that he was present at his home at Haroon Bungalows when he received a phone call of injured Shah Mir, who asked him to reach immediately to the Aga Khan University Hospital at around 2am on Wednesday.

When he reached the hospital he saw that his nephew Jazlan Faisal Sabir and his Shah Mir were in the emergency ward with bullet wounds. Jazlan was unconsciousness and on ventilator but Shah Mir was in the position to speak. He informed him that he, Jazlan and their friend Zargam were travelling in Zargam’s car and were returning after meeting their relative Ibrahim. They were travelling on Jinnah Avenue when they saw that a youth was riding a motorbike in a very ‘dangerous manner’ and almost narrowly missed hitting their car.

When they angrily asked the youth as to why he was riding his motorbike in such a dangerous way, the youth started using abusive language against them resulting in an exchange of hot words between them.

The biker immediately phoned his brothers. In the meantime, the car occupants drove away as they saw that some people in a car and the motorcyclist were fast coming after them.

When they reached Bahria Town’s ‘Eiffel Tower’, the suspects travelling in the car overtook their vehicle and opened fire on them. As a result, Shah Mir and Jazlan suffered bullet wounds while their friend Zargam remained unhurt. Jazlan was hit in the head.

After the firing several people rushed to the spot and shifted the wounded to a nearby hospital inside the BTK from where the victims were taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital where Jazlan died during treatment.

According to the wounded Shah Mir, three brothers — Mohammed Ihsan alias Ahsan, Mohammed Irfan and Mohammed Hasnain — and Inshal allegedly attacked them and fled from the crime scene.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2022