Eight people, including two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and a police constable, were killed in various parts of the city on Friday.

Farhan was fired upon and seriously injured in Sector 11-½, Orangi Town, in the Pakistan Bazaar police remit in the morning. He was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) where he expired during treatment.

According to SDPO Waheed Khan of Pakistan Bazaar Division, the victim suffered bullet wounds to his upper torso.

Farhan was residing in the same area and he had left home for some work when unidentified men on a motorcycle targeted him. Police seized empty casings of a 30-bore pistol for a forensic test.

He was an activist of the MQM and police described Farhan’s murder as part of target killings. After the incident, tension gripped the area where armed men resorted to aerial firing and forced the shopkeepers to pull down shutters.

Another MQM activist Adeel was killed while two others - Faisal and Adnan - were injured when they were fired upon in an inner lane near Nagan Chowrangi in the New Karachi police area after Iftar.

According to SDPO Chaudhry Mohammed Akhtar of New Karachi Division, all three victims were moved to the ASH where Adeel succumbed to his injuries.

The deceased and the injured were the workers of the MQM and they used to run a Biryani stall in the area where they were targeted in the late evening.

Adeel was a resident of New Karachi and the police described his murder as target killing.

Later, tension gripped the area where armed men resorted to aerial firing and forced the traders to close their businesses.

The party activists and leaders reached the hospital where they lodged protest and blamed their rival group for the attack.

Torso found

The torso of a young man identified as Mashood alias Danish (28) was found from Baghdadi police remit.

The head of the victim was found on Thursday from the Kharadar area. It was moved to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK). He was a resident of Liaquatabad.

SHO Haji Sanaullah of Baghdadi police station said that Mashood had left his house on Thursday evening to meet a friend in Saddar and when he was passing through Pan Mandi, unidentified criminals kidnapped him from the area and took him to their hideout where they brutally tortured him and later slaughtered him.

The culprits first threw the head of the deceased in the Kharadar police remit and later threw his torso in the Baghdadi area. The victim was working as labourer in Chemical Market in the old city area.

He was a supporter of the MQM and the police termed his murder a target killing.

Policeman shot dead

In Pak Colony area, unidentified armed men killed Police Constable Mohammed Afzaal in the evening. SHO Abdul Waheed Awan said that Constable Afzaal along with a police team was deployed at Bismillah Market for security duty.

In the meantime, some robbers entered the market and started looting people. Following receipt of information about the incident, the policemen, including PC Afzaal, chased the suspects, to which the bandits opened fire and a shootout ensued during which PC Afzaal sustained injuries while the suspects fled taking advantage of the rush of the people.

The injured PC Afzaal was moved to the CHK where he expired during treatment. The deceased received two bullet wounds to his upper torso. He was posted at the Pak Colony police station and he has left behind a widow and four children.

Sectarian killing

Meanwhile, Abbas Haider was fired upon and critically injured in Firdous Colony in the Gulbahar police limits in the afternoon.

SHO Rizwan Patel said that Abbas Haider, a resident of Jehangirabad, had gone to the area to meet his friend and when he reached near Firdous Colony Chowk, two bike riders, wearing helmets, targeted him.

He was moved to the ASH for treatment, from where his family took him to the Aga Khan Hospital in a critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries in the night.

Abbas received bullet wounds to his head and neck and the police seized empty shells of a 9mm pistol from the spot. Police said that Abbas’ murder seems to be a sectarian killing but they were investigating the incident with other aspects as well.

Two ASWJ men killed

Late on Friday night armed men targeted two supporters of the Ahle Sunnat Wal-Jamat, Shakir and Asif, near Mohammedi Masjid, Federal B-Area, Samanabad.

SDPO Rehmatullah Khan said that the two were sitting at a stall of the mosque, when two men riding a motorcycle opened fire on them and fled. The injured were moved to the ASH where both died.

Both victims received bullet wounds to their heads. Police sleuths say the attack was part of the ongoing wave of targeted killings.

The neighbourhood in which the attack occurred was later gripped by tension, as unidentified men opened aerial fire and forced shopkeepers to shut their businesses.

Some armed men also attacked shops in Anarkali Bazaar and Water pump markets. The situation in the area remained tense till the filing of this report.

Man slain in Saeedabad

In Saeedabad area, unidentified gunmen killed Abdul Raheem, 32, in the wee hours in Naval Colony.

SHO Chaudhry Irshad said that Raheem had left his house at Sehri time to purchase some food items for Sehri from a nearby hotel, and when he was returning two armed men, riding a motorcycle, came across him and shot him dead near his house.

The victim received two bullet wounds on his upper torso. According to SHO Irshad, deceased Raheem had a dispute with his former in-laws for the past few months and his family has expressed suspicion on them behind his murder.