Two more cops slain as toll hits five in 48 hours

Karachi
A day after three cops were gunned down, two more of Karachi’s policemen fell in the line of duty on Sunday, while a doctor and an activist of a religious party were also slain by target killers.
Head Constable Abdul Ghafoor, 57, and Constable Muhammad Farooq, 45, were shot dead by two assailants near Imambargah Noorul Iman in Nazimabad No 3. SHO Aijaz Lodhi told The News the duo were part of the imambargah’s four-man security detail and had just arrived for their daily shift when they were ambushed. “The attackers knew their timings and were waiting for them. They were walking towards the imambargah when the killers made their move; Ghafoor was shot thrice and Farooq twice in the head,” he said.
Both cops were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival. “The attackers made a clean getaway. However, six 9mm empties were found at the crime scene and have been sent for forensics,” said Lodhi, adding that it was likely the killers were part of the same group that had been targeting law enforcers for the past two years now.
He said Ghafoor and Farooq’s bodies had been sent to their native areas of Faisalabad and Haripur for burial. The Nazimabad SHO also conceded that both cops had no protective gear – bulletproof vests or helmets – despite the incessant targeting of the city’s policemen. Ghafoor and Farooq’s murders brought this year’s cop death toll to 16 within a span of 18 days. Five policemen have been slain in the city over the past two days now, following the killings of constables Saeed Akbar, 40, and Niaz Hussain, 42, in Lyari and a traffic police constable, 38-year-old Javed Iqbal, near Malir Halt on Saturday.
In Lyari, two policemen had been killed in an attack on a check post in Musa Lane.
Police said four gangsters fired gunshots at a Madadgar 15 check post, killing constables Saeed Akbar, 40, and Niaz Hussain, 42.
Both policemen suffered multiple bullet wounds and died on the way to a hospital.
Akbar was posted at the Baghdadi police station and Hussain was a former army soldier recently recruited by the police department.
Acting SP Lyari Aftab Nizamani told The News that the attackers had used 9mm and .30 pistols.
“The attack was sudden and the two policemen didn’t get time to respond,” he added.
The official suspected that the members of the Uzair Jan Baloch gang could be responsible for the attack.
Moreover, a traffic police constable had been gunned down near the Saturday Bazaar at Malir Halt near Model Colony.
Javed Iqbal, 38, was shot in the chest by two men riding a motorcycle.
He was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced him dead. DSP Baqar Rind said Iqbal was posted at the Model Colony traffic section.

Doctor gunned down
In Federal B Area, yet another doctor fell prey to target killers. Gulberg SHO Athar Malik said Dr Muhammad Farooq, 55, s/o Saeed-ur-Rehman was heading home from his clinic in FB Area’s Block 12 when two men on a motorcycle opened fire at his vehicle near Bombay Bakery.
Dr Farooq was shot multiple times and, though he was immediately taken to Mamji Hospital near Water Pump Chowrangi, his wounds proved fatal. “He was a resident of Block 13 and was almost home when the attack took place,” said SHO Malik, adding that the murder could be an extortion-related hit or part of the ongoing target killings of Karachi’s health professionals.
So far this year, four doctors have already been gunned down in the city, following the murders of 17 doctors last year.
Leaders of various health associations including the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) condemned Dr Farooq’s murder and announced plans for protests over the coming week.

MQM condemns killings
MQM chief Altaf Hussain strongly condemned the murders of Dr Muhammad Farooq and police officers Ghafoor and Farooq. In a statement issued from London, he prayed for the departed souls and their families, while also demanding the immediate arrests of their killers. He advised citizens to be ever more vigilant and take measures for their own protection.

Religious activist killed
In Nazimabad, an activist of a religious party was shot dead near the railway crossing located opposite New Golden Bakery.
Police said Rehan Atiq, 45, was shot multiple times at close range by two men on a motorcycle. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Officials said Rehan was associated with Dawat-e-Islami and suspected that his murder was part of ongoing sectarian violence in the city.

Injured child dies
A 10-year-old boy named Hanif, who was injured in crossfire in Gulshan-e-Buner on Saturday, passed away during treatment at a hospital. SHO Quaidabad Amanullah Marwat said the boy, along with two men identified as Khan Gul Haq and Zaley Khan Mehsud, had been injured in a shootout among two armed groups.
Police have registered a case against unknown culprits on the complaint of Hanif’s father, Abdus Sattar.