Three Awami National Party (ANP) activists were murdered on Monday in the ongoing spate of target killings in the city.

Naseeb Khan, a senior member of the ANP’s Loya Jirga, was attacked in D’Silva Town, North Nazimabad.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Raja Mohammed Ilyas of the Shadman Division said Naseeb was taken to a private hospital, where he breathed his last.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was a resident of the same area where he was attacked.

He was inside his vehicle in the afternoon waiting for his friend to arrive, when four men on two motorcycles sprayed him with bullets.

The deceased suffered seven bullet wounds on his body. The police found empty bullet shells of 9mm and 30-bore pistols at the crime scene.

The victim was also the former ANP ward president of D’Silva Town and ran a real estate business.

The police officer added that the deceased hailed from Kala Dhaka, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A few months ago, his brother was killed due to some personal enmity.

Investigators suspected that the murder was a target killing case, but added that it was premature to establish the motive as there were reports about an enmity between the deceased and a group.

Following the murder, tension gripped Kati Pahari, North Nazimabad, Qasba Colony and their adjoining areas as some men fired gunshots in the air and forced the closure of shops.

ANP leaders and activists staged a protest, accusing their rival group of murdering the senior party man and demanding the immediate arrest of the killers.

Violence also broke out near the intermediate and matric board offices, where miscreants fired gunshots in the air and pelted stones at passing vehicles.

Afterwards, a contingent of police and Rangers reached the troubled areas and brought the situation under control. However, the atmosphere was still tense in these areas by the time this report was filed.

ANP activist targeted in Madina Colony

ANP activist Anwer Khan was targeted at a restaurant in Madina Colony.

Federal B Area SHO Sajid Jawed said the police rushed to the crime scene, where witnesses told them that four people were injured in the attack and taken to the Patel Hospital.

A police team went to the hospital, where it was informed that Anwer had succumbed to his injuries while the three other men, including Abdul Maalik, survived.

The hospital staff also told the police that Anwer’s relatives had taken away his body without having the legal formalities completed. The deceased suffered multiple bullet wounds on his upper torso.

It was found during investigations that the deceased was a resident of Jannat Gul Town, Sohrab Goth. He was sitting at the restaurant with three friends in the afternoon, when two masked men on a motorcycle opened fire on them.

The SHO said the police found empty bullet shells of 9mm and 30-bore pistols at the crime scene.

Police sleuths believed that the murder was part of the ongoing target killing spree in the city. They added that the victim was also involved in property business and they would probe this angle as well.

ANP office-bearer’s driver killed

Late at night, ANP activist Shakeel Hussain, who was also working as a party office-bearer’s driver, was gunned down near Shezan Gali at Shafiq Morr Road. However the ANP office-bearer, ANP Sindh Joint Secretary Ismail Mehsud, remained unhurt in the attack.

The Federal B Area SHO said the police reached the crime scene and found an empty car there. Witnesses told them that the man injured in the attack was taken to the Liaquat National Hospital.

When the police went to the hospital, they were informed that Hussain had succumbed to his injuries. The deceased suffered multiple bullet wounds on his upper torso.

Initial investigations revealed that Mehsud was returning home in his car with his driver, when some men on motorcycles opened fire on them. The police found empty 9mm pistol bullet shells at the crime scene.

The deceased was a resident of Sohrab Goth and hailed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Investigators said the actual target of the assailants could have been Mehsud.

Afterwards, some men in the area fired gunshots in the air and forcibly shut down shops.ANP leaders and activists staged a protest and demanded the arrest of the killers.

PPP office-bearer attacked

In another late-night development, a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) office-bearer was shot and injured. Hyderi SHO Fasihuddin Siddiqi said the PPP District Central information secretary, 55-year-old Afzaal Ahmed, was heading towards his shop in Noor Market, when two men on a motorcycle shot him. Ahmed was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was in a critical condition.

The police officer added that Ahmed suffered a bullet wound on his face and another on his leg.

The police found empty 30-bore pistol bullet shells at the crime scene. The SHO said Ahmed was a resident of Buffer Zone and the attack could be a target killing attempt.

Police constable shot and injured

A police constable was shot and injured when a police van was attacked near the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) at night.

Risala SHO Javed Sikander said that the injured constable, Ahmed Khan, was immediately taken to the CHK, where he was in a stable condition.

The policemen were patrolling the area in the van when they signalled two suspicious men on a motorcycle to stop.

The two men opened fire on the police, forcing the latter to retaliate. During the crossfire, the constable was injured and the suspects managed to escape.

The police found empty 30-bore pistol bullet shells at the crime scene.