Three people were shot dead in Karachi’s Machhar Colony during a “violent clash” between two groups over a land dispute on Monday evening, police said.While police insisted that the shooting was the result of a land dispute, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) alleged that its workers were targeted by “PPP terrorists”.
South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said the clash erupted between the two groups near the Umer Bin Khattab mosque. He identified two of the deceased as 55-year-old Siraj alias Siraji and Abdul alias Abdu.
“All the victims were Bengalis,” he said. Raza said that according to the preliminary investigation, the shooting was the result of an enmity between “Bengalis and Pakhtuns” over a property dispute.
The DIG said the main suspect, Nisar Pathan, and his brother Gulzar had been arrested. He said that the rifle and pistol used in the shooting had also been seized. Police contingents, led by the Keamari division assistant superintendent, rushed to the spot and encircled the locality, the senior officer said. He added that a search operation had been launched to arrest the remaining suspects.The DIG ruled out any “political reason” behind the shooting, reiterating that the issue was over a land dispute between Siraj and Nisar which took an untoward turn.
Raza said that the land in question originally belonged to the Karachi Port Trust. “The dispute between the victim Siraj and the main suspect had been going on for the last five to six years,” the official said. He said that three meetings had already taken place to settle the dispute. The police officer said that earlier today the prayer leader of the Umer Bin Khattab mosque had called both the parties to resolve the dispute.
However, an argument broke out and the suspects opened fire, which killed three people and injured one other.The senior officer said that one of the victims, Siraj, had a criminal record, adding that there were 16 cases registered against him. He said the deceased had been released from jail recently.
Siraj was reportedly visiting the spot for the last three days for resolution of the land dispute on invitation of a local pesh imam.The bodies were shifted to Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi to fulfill legal formalities. Separately, MQM-P Deputy Convener Anis Kaimkhani disputed the police official’s claim and alleged that PPP workers had attacked the party’s workers while they were busy campaigning for the upcoming general election.
In a statement, he said MQM-P candidates and workers were injured when “PPP terrorists opened fire on our local leaders and workers under the leadership of the local officials”.
Kaimkhani alleged that Nisar was a local PPP leader and the coordinator of former health minister Abdul Qadir Patel.“During the attack, two MQM-P workers were injured while three people were killed,” he said. “The injured workers have been moved to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sindh police chief Riffat Mukhtar Raja took notice of the incident and sought details from the South DIG.
