KARACHI: Two members of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and a banker were shot dead on sectarian grounds only a day after four persons including an Imambargah trustee were killed in sectarian attacks in the city, police said.

Gulbahar DSP Aijazuddin said that Mohammed Ali, 40, closed his general store in Khamosh Colony at around 3am and was on his way on a motorbike to drop an employee, Aleemuddin, 28, to his residence in the C-1 Area of Liaquatabad when they were kidnapped. They were brought near an Imambargah in Hasan Colony where they were shot dead, the officer said.

The ASWJ spokesperson claimed that both victims were members of their organisation. He added that 25 ASWJ workers had been killed this year alone.

The bodies were later shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy.

The police found four spent bullet casings of 30-bore pistol at the crime-scene.

The DSP was of the opinion that the killing near the Imambargah was aimed at fomenting sectarian strife.

Karachi West DIG Javed Alam Odho believed the double murder might be driven by sectarian considerations.The renewed wave of targeted killings on sectarian grounds in the city has claimed a total of seven lives in two days.

Mohammad Ali, father of six children, was a resident of Hasrat Mohani Colony, Pak Colony, while Aleemuddin hailed from Sukkur.

Later in the afternoon a banker was shot v dead in the Landhi area on sectarian grounds, police said.

Syed Hassan Mehdi, 45, an HBL employee in Landhi-5, was on his way home from office in a car when armed motorcyclists attacked him on the main road in Korangi 3½ , said Landhi SP Faisal Noor.

He sustained four bullet wounds and was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where doctors declared him dead on arrival, said Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency department.

A 30-bore pistol was used in the targeted killing, according to the police. The Landhi SP said the victim was Shia. He said this was second murder in the area apparently on sectarian grounds.

Following the four murders including that of the trustee of an Imambargah on Monday, the Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen had said that over 350 people had been killed on sectarian grounds over the past five months and announced a countrywide protest against the killings on May 26.

Meanwhile, DIG West Javed Alam Odho believed that the killing of two Sunni Tehreek workers on Monday was not related to sectarianism. He was of the opinion that their murder might be the result of ‘tit-for-tat’ attacks as the religious party and an ethno-political party were allegedly fighting with each other in the west zone.

Prayer leader killed A prayer leader was stabbed to death in the Manghopir area, police officials said.

They added that Qari Barkat, 55, was killed on the rooftop of his home in Noor Mohammed Goth.

The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

SSP West Irfan Baloch said the prayer leader was killed at his home and with the help of a dagger. He suspected that the murder might be the outcome of some personal enmity.

PPP worker murdered A worker of the Pakistan Peoples Party was gunned down after being kidnapped and tortured in Orangi Town, police said.

They added that Rizwan Siddiqi, 28, was found shot dead near Arshi mosque in Sector-10. The body bore bullet and torture marks.

Rizwan, a KMC employee, had left his Millat Town residence on Monday noon but did not return, the police said.

SSP West Irfan Baloch believed the murder was the outcome of some personal enmity.

The Mominabad police lodged an FIR against the victim’s nephew, Syed Kamran, on a complaint of the brother of the deceased, Mohammed Shafiq.

The police said the murder was related to matrimonial dispute among the relatives.

Factory worker A factory worker was kidnapped before being shot dead in Surjani Town, police said.

They added that Manzoor Leghari, 45, was found shot dead near a petrol pump at the 4-K bus terminal.

The victim worked at a factory in New Karachi Industrial Area and hailed from Tando Allahyar.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2014