Man booked in several cases shot dead in Orangi Town

A man was shot dead in an act of target killing in an Orangi Town neighbourhood on Thursday.

According to police officials, the incident took place in Toori Bangash Colony within the limits of the Iqbal Market police station.

As a result of the firing, the victim was severely injured. He was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medical treatment where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The deceased was later identified as 38-year-old Khalilur Rehman, son of Qalat Khan Mehsud. He was a resident of Raja Tanvir Colony in Orangi Town.

Baldia divisional SP Shabbir Baloch told media that different cases were registered against Rehman, including those lodged by the Counter-Terrorism Department, while his name was also placed on the fourth-schedule. He added that the incident took place shortly after the man left home. The officer said that two unidentified men riding a motorcycle opened fire at him, hitting him twice.

Police investigators claimed to have seized two empties of a .30bore pistol from the crime scene and sent them to the forensic division of the Sindh police.

Police officials suspected that the man was apparently killed over a personal enmity, but the police were investigating the case from different angles. The man was also associated with online news platform Tribal Times. His organisation claimed that he was receiving threats from unidentified persons. “He had been associated with our organisation as bureau chief Orangi Town for more than a year,” said Shoaib Khan, the editor of the Tribal Times.

“He briefly informed us about the threats he had been receiving from unidentified persons, but before he could share in detail, the armed men killed him.”

PTI demands action

While showing his anger over the killing of his party worker, Khalil Mehsud, in Raja Tanveer Colony, Itthead Town, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA Malik Shehzad Awan demanded of the law enforcement agencies to arrest the killers of Mehsud and asked the chief minister and the provincial police chief to take notice of the slaying.

Awan, who has been elected from PS-116 (Baldia Town), said in a statement that Karachi could not bear incidents of targeted killing anymore. “Mehsud was killed in broad daylight and we are concerned.”

He visited the family of the slain party worker to express condolence, and he assured the family that he would bring the killers to justice and raise the issue in the Sindh Assembly.

“Mehsud was an old member of the party. In the attack, he received four bullets on different parts of his body,” he told the media. “We have seriously been assessing the rationale behind the attack on the party’s member.”