By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan’s financial capital has seen a staggering 29 political killings in the first week of June, eight of them on Sunday alone, police said.
Six of those killed Sunday belonged to the Haqiqi faction of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM-H) led by Afaq Ahmed and one to the mainstream MQM of Altaf Ahmed.
Also killed was a worker of the Awami National Party (ANP) that represents the city’s minority Pakhtoon community and whose cadres often clash with the MQM that represents the majority Mohajir community.
Six others lost their lives in non-political killings.
Daily Times Monday quoted police officials as saying the situation could worsen unless the home department intervenes and re-establishes the government’s control in the city.
Sunday’s mayhem started early in the morning when unidentified gunmen barged into the house of Salimuddin, a legal adviser to the (MQM-H), in the Jamshed Quarters Police Station area and killed him. His wife Farida and daughter Sehrish were injured.
Another murder believed to be a political killing was that of Nadeem Khan, whose brother Moin was the unit in-charge of the MQM-H. Khan was shot dead by unidentified assailants.
Naseem Ahmed, a member of the MQM-H elders’ wing, was killed in his house, while his wife Seema was injured in the attack.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a taxi, killing Noman, and injuring his brother Zeeshan and mother Nasima. Police said the attack might have been politically motivated as Zeeshan was the former bodyguard of MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed.
The body of MQM-H activist Hassan Ali was found near a graveyard, while the body of a fruit vendor, Shehzad, was found at another location. Shehzad was a former MQM-H activist.
A rift between two groups over the encroachment of government land resulted in the death of teenager Hardeen, whose family has named four activists of the mainstream MQM in their police complaint.
Faqeer Muhammad and Razaullah were killed by unidentified people. Razaullah was a transporter, but police sources said Faqeer had been an MQM worker. A friend, Yaseen, was also injured in the shooting.
Unidentified assailants also killed a daily wager, Jamil Khan, on Sunday. Police believe this killing to be politically motivated, as Khan was a supporter of the Awami National Party (ANP) that represents the city’s minority Pakhtoon community and whose workers often clash with the MQM that represents the majority Mohajir community.
Also on Sunday, Shakeel Naata was killed while his associate Imran, alias Para, was injured. Police claim the two were robbers who turned their guns on each other after a dispute over the distribution of their loot. There were also reports that the two were MQM-H workers, but party leaders have refuted the claims.
These apart, police also found the gagged bodies of two unidentified men. It was not immediately clear whether these killings were also political.