Prayer leader among three shot dead in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Three people, including an Imam-e-Masjid (prayer leader) and two teenagers were gunned down under mysterious circumstances outside a masque in Bhara Kahu on Saturday night, police sources said.

The assailants could not be identified. Police have started investigation on all aspects to trace the killers. The police sources, quoting eyewitness account, said the people living in the surrounding areas rushed to the scene and found three bodies lying in the pool of blood on the doorstep of the mosque. They informed the local police station and the police took the dead bodies in the custody and shifted them to hospital for post mortem.

SP (City) Muhammad Umar Khan told The News that Qari Ikramur Rehman, Imam of Masjid-e-Siddique-e-Akbar, who was targeted, was running a madrassa attached to the mosque. He said Qari Ikram was leaving the mosque for his residence along with his son Samiur Rehman, 13, and a student identified as Habib, 14, when unidentified armed men opened fire on them leaving all of them dead on the spot and escaped while taking advantage of darkness. He said that the police team has started investigation. SSP (Operations) Mustafa Tanveer said two teams -- covering technical issues and investigation -- have initiated working under the supervision of SSP (Investigation) Attaur Rehman for investigation of different aspects including sectarian as well as personal enmity to reach on conclusion.