Serving major shot dead in Karachi

KARACHI: A serving major of the Pakistan Army was gunned down in a firing incident on the second day of Eidul Fitr in Karachi.

Police officials said that the incident took place near Dilpasand Sweets on the main MA Jinnah Road within the limits of Aram Bagh police station late on Thursday night. The deceased was shot once in the head and died at the spot. His body was taken to the Civil Hospital, Karachi, for autopsy where he was identified as 35-year-old Saqib Iqbal, son of Muhammad Iqbal. According to Aram Bagh SHO Sagheer Mugheri, the deceased was a serving major of Pakistan Army and used to live in the Malir Cantonment area. The officer said that the police have also found an empty shell of a pistol from the crime scene and sent it to the forensic division for ballistics cross-matching.

Reacting to information, a contingent of law enforcers including police and Rangers reached the site and inquired about the incident.

The police investigators remained clueless about the nature of the incident. Initially, the police had said that apparently the incident occurred over offering resistance on robbery bid.

Meanwhile, SHO Mugheri when contacted later in the day termed the incident a ‘blind case’ and said nothing could be said about the nature of the incident as investigations were at preliminary levels and investigators were investigating the case from different angles. “We cannot say anything as our investigations are in initial phase. Even we cannot share any details with the media as it is a sensitive matter and different agencies are working on it,” he explained. The officer further said that the police have also taken the victim’s motorcycle and a licensed pistol into custody, adding that the police have registered a case against unidentified persons on behalf of the vicitm’s brother while the police have also placed Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIR.