Timber Market president, son held for shooting PTI lawmaker Ramzan Ghanchi

The police on Friday booked and arrested the president of the Timber Market and his son for attacking and injuring a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf legislator in the Sindh Assembly.

MPA Ramzan Ghanchi, 60, was wounded in a firing incident in the early hours of Friday near Timber Market in Ghas Mandi area of Old Haji Camp within the limits of Napier police station. He was immediately shifted to the Civil Hospital where his condition was stable as he was shot in his leg. The injured MPA was later moved to a private hospital in North Nazimabad.

According to police, the incident took place due to an argument over a water connection. Official said the suspect Suleman Soomro, who is the UC vice-chairman and also the president of the timber market, and his sons were behind the shooting.

After the firing, PTI leaders condemned the incident and demanded the arrest of the suspects. PTI Karachi chapter leader Khurram Sher Zaman also reached the hospital to inquire about the injured MPA and strongly condemned the incident. “The water issue is everywhere in Karachi but it does not mean that you shoot people,” he said while talking to the media. “We do not want to change the nature of the incident as the suspect also has his political affiliation but I would only say that they be arrested and punished accordingly.”

In his statement to the police, Ghanchi said he was passing through Jinnahabad when he stopped his vehicle after seeing the water connection line in the area. “Suleman Soomro and his sons, after abusing and threatening me, opened fire at me when I asked them about the water connection line. They even threatened to set me on fire alive when I was in the ambulance being transported to the hospital,” he said.

Napier SHO Azam Khan said that the firing incident occurred over a water connection dispute, adding that the suspects, Suleman Soomro and his son Shahnawaz Soomro have been taken into custody, while the police was looking for Suleman’s other son, Ali Soomro who had managed to escape.

The police have also registered an FIR No. 16/19 under Sections 324, 504/34 and 506/B against Suleman Soomro and his sons.