KARACHI – Three lawyers and a member of Tableegi Jamat were shot dead on Wednesday in a new wave of sectarian violence in the financial capital of the country.
Three lawyers, members of Shia Lawyers Forum, were shot dead and a fourth wounded in a drive-by shooting in city’s southern Arambagh neighbourhood, prompting the Shia Ulma Council and lawyers community to call a strike today (Thursday).
The victims included a father and his son. Armed motorcyclists sprayed bullets at their car at Maulana Din Muhammad Wafai Road when they were returning from the city courts. Police said the victims were identified as Badar Munir Jaffrey (45), his son Gauhar Shakeel Jeffrey and his nephew Kafil Ahmad Jafferi, while another relative namely Babar Ali Jaffrey sustained severe bullet wounds.
Police said wounded Babar, who received three bullets on his upper torso, drove the car with bodies to CHK, and he was admitted to the ICU in critical condition. The bodies and the injured were brought to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) where scores of Shias gathered and started to quarrel with the hospital management. The angry mob ransacked the hospital and took the bodies to Hussaini Imam Bargah located in Saudabad, Malir without letting the hospital staff complete medico-legal formalities.
The police said the victims Badar and Gohar were residents of Aminabad in Model Colony, Malir, while Kafil, who hailed from Rahimyar Khan, was also staying at Badar’s house.
Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said the attack was sectarian. “We have noticed a few sectarian killings lately, which are aimed at creating chaos in Karachi,” he said.
SSP Naeem Sheikh told the media that provincial Home Minister Manzoor Wassan, taking a serious notice of the incident, has asked Sindh IGP and Karachi CCPO to submit reports within 48 hours. He said the minister has also directed for suspending the relevant SHO and has formed a committee under the supervision of DIG South Commander Shokat.
To a question, he confirmed that police has started investigation to identify the police personnel who reportedly, instead of encountering the shooters, restored to aerial firing to scare them away.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Yasin Azad announced they would be observing a countrywide boycott of court proceedings today to protest the attack.
Following the incident, tension prevailed in several parts of the city including Railway Society, Jaffar Tayar society, Malir, Khokharapar, Ancholi, Abbas Town, Numaish area, etc where all major markets were closed due to uncertain conditions.
At least five lawyers had already lost their lives to sectarian violence in the ongoing year. Maqbool-ur-Rehman was killed in Jamsheed Town and Muhammad Ali alias Mama and Noman in Pan Mandi Jodia Bazaar, while two others were targeted killed in Aram Bagh Police remits.
In another incident, a member of Tableeghi Jamaat was gunned down near Hashmi Masjid in Orangi Town sector 11- 1/2 in the jurisdiction of Pakistan Bazaar Police.
DSP Tariq Malik said deceased Mehtab, 45, son of Imam Din, was shot dead when he was on his way to home from mosque after offering Zohr prayers. He said the victim was the organiser of Tableeghi procession in Orangi Town, Karachi, and he received six bullets and died on the spot. He said the victim was the father of five.
Karachi last year endured its worst ethnic and political unrest in 16 years. Pakistan’s rights bodies said more than 1,000 people had been killed in violence in Karachi last year, including more than 100 in one week alone in October.
This southern port city was being used by the United States to ship supplies to the troops fighting the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, before Pakistan suspended the supplies over killing of 26 of its soldiers in a November airstrike by the western military alliance.