Retired army major loses life in broad daylight attack

A retired Pakistan Army officer was shot in broad daylight in Korangi’s Qayyumabad area on Saturday afternoon and later succumbed to his injuries at a public hospital.

Maj (retd) Mushtaq Khan suffered a bullet under the abdomen while another man, identified as Sahib Khan, was injured due to the armed attack that occurred near Qayyumabad Chowk in the jurisdiction of the Korangi Industrial Area police station.

East Range police chief, DIG Amir Farooqi, said that responding to the information received, police mobiles were despatched to the scene of the crime, where the law enforcers found two injured men.

Farooqi said that both the wounded men were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, adding that the retired army officer, however, succumbed to his injuries.

During the initial investigation, the police found out that the retired army officer owned a private school situated in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block-2 and was a resident of DHA Phase-VIII.

Police said that Maj (retd) Mushtaq Khan was on his way home from the school when he stopped his car at Qayyumabad Chowk to buy some fruits.

While he was at the fruit vendor’s, a man riding a motorbike stopped near him and fired a shot at him before fleeing. The retired army officer suffered a bullet under his abdomen and later passed away at the hospital.

DIG Farooqi said the fruit vendor had suffered a bullet to the foot, adding that the bullet that hit Maj (retd) Mushtaq Khan had also hit Sahib Khan.

In his statement to the police, the fruit vendor said the suspect was wearing shalwar kameez and was clean-shaven. He added that the retired army man was purchasing fruits when the suspect stopped by, took out a pistol and shot him without saying anything before speeding away.

The police officer said that it was premature to confirm the motive behind the murder, adding that they would investigate the incident from different aspects, including target killing and enmity.

Previous attacks

A police constable and a suspect lost their lives during a shootout between law enforcers and alleged muggers in a locality of Baldia Town on the night of January 13. District West SSP Fida Hussain Janwari said the Ittehad Town police received information that armed muggers were robbing people near the Muhammad Khan Chowki area.

He said police vans were immediately despatched to the scene, but as the suspects saw the law enforcers approaching, they opened fire and a shootout between the two parties ensued.

The suspects sped towards the Tori Bangash area to avoid arrest, and as the police pursued them, Constable Abdur Rehman suffered injuries during the crossfire, added the officer.

The SSP said that after the shootout, the police arrested one of the suspects in an injured condition, while his alleged accomplices managed to escape from the scene. Both the wounded men were rushed to the hospital, but they were pronounced dead on arrival, he added.

Another PC fell in the line of duty in the New Karachi Industrial Area (NKIA) within 24 hours. Twenty-three-year-old Irfan, who was posted at the NKIA police station, was wounded during an exchange of fire with suspected criminals on the night of January 14. He was taken to a private hospital located on National Stadium Road, but he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

Police said the shootout took place after policemen patrolling on a motorbike tried to intercept two suspects who were also riding a two-wheeler. However, instead of stopping, the suspects opened fire on the officials and sped away.

Resultantly, Irfan suffered critical wounds and later succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The funeral prayers for the constable were offered at the police headquarters in the Garden area on Wednesday.

The funeral was attended by the cop’s family, relatives a large number of senior police officers, including Sindh police chief Dr Syed Kaleem Imam and Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.

Around a dozen policemen had lost their lives in targeted attacks in the city the previous year. The victims included an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and 10 constables.

One law enforcer was martyred in January, two in February, four in March, one in April, two in June and one in September, according to reports published in newspapers.

Traffic police warden Ehtisham was martyred in Soldier Bazaar on January 21. Policeman Farooq lost his life in Pak Colony on February 13. Former policeman Shafqat was attacked in Orangi Town on February 14.

PC Jahangir was martyred in Hijrat Colony on March 2. ASI Rizwan lost his life in the Iqbal Market area of Orangi Town on March 4.

Also in Orangi Town’s Iqbal Market area, policeman Habibullah was attacked on March 9. Policeman Farooq was martyred near Nipa Chowrangi on March 22. PC Khalid lost his life in the Defence Housing Authority on April 7.

Constables Allah Dino and Ahmed Ali were attacked in the Mominabad area of Orangi Town on June 17. Constable Syed Zeeshan Mian, 26, whose Rukhsati ceremony was scheduled to take place around a month later, embraced martyrdom on September 19 during a gunfight with three suspected criminals in Nazimabad.