950826

15 killed in

Karachi: 8 in

Moosa Colony only

NAYYAR ZUBERI

KARACHI: Fifteen people, including eight in a group in a house, were killed in different incidents of violence in the city on Saturday.

According to Badri Zaman, one of the survivors of the mass murder in a house in Moosa Colony area, three armed men entered his house scaling the outer wall at about 3.30 a.m. When he woke-up at the noise, the armed men introduced themselves as members of a law enforcing agency and one of them showed what he called a police identity card.

The armed men told him that they had come on a tip that the residents of the area were involved in arms and drug business. The armed men asked several questions and a little later they took him out of the house. When Zaman came out he saw several other armed men who had taken position at different corners.

Then, the armed men took him to another house from where they rounded up three inmates. Visiting several other houses similarly, they collected a total of 10 persons and returned to the house of Zaman. The armed men then seized all gold ornaments and cash.

Finally, they blindfolded all the ten captures, tied their hands behind their backs and started firing. Eight men were killed on the spot and two were injured.

Hearing the sound of firing the residents of the area rushed to help and found the dead and injured. The assailants had escaped by that time.

The deceased were identified as Tania Khan and Waris Khan (brothers), Khursheed Khan and Shah Rehman (brothers), Noor Habib and Ghulam Habib (brothers), Shadar Khan and Ali Haider. The injured were Naseeb Khan and Badri Zaman.

All the victims were labourers, gardners and chowkidar by profession. Edhi ambulances shifted the dead and injured to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

BULLET-RIDDLED BODIES

Bullet-riddled bodies of two unidentified men were recovered from two different bags found lying in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block 4A, and near Ali Bhai School, Qasba Colony.

Another dead body was found lying in Nazimabad Block 2.

Yet another bullet riddled dead body was found lying near Hab Dam.

Naseem, who was injured in a firing incident in Nazimabad on Friday last succumbed to his injuries at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

One person was killed and two others injured in sniper firing in Baldia Town. The dead and the injured were shifted to Murshid Hospital.

An unidentified man was killed in firing in Korangi Industrial area.

Some unidentified persons opened fire at police mobile near Ranghar Muhalla, Malir, in which police constable Ghulam Murtaza was killed and constable Zafar Iqbal was injured.

APP Adds: Armed terrorists, believed to be belonging to 'Altaf Group' kidnapped eight people from different places in Moosa Colony and killed them all here on Saturday morning, police said.

Armed men stated to be about 25 in number kidnapped eight people, five from one house and three from two other places, and put them all in one room of the house. Later, they shot dead all of them.

Police officials immediately reached the spot and started investigations.

COMPENSATION, BURIAL

Sindh government has announced a sum of Rs.one lakh each to the near relatives of the eight people killed in Moosa Colony.

The cheques would be handed over to the heirs of the deceased on special directives of the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Abdullah Shah by provincial minister Khawaja Mohammad Awan who also left for Mansehra along with the bodies of the deceased.

The expenses of the burial of those killed would also be borne by the Sindh government.

Talking to the relatives of those killed, Sindh Minister Khawaja Mohammad Awan said that terrorists by killing Pathans and Punjabis were once again out to ignite linguistic riots in the city so as to bolster their falling graph of popularity.

Condemning the act of terrorism, he said those involved in this heinous offence did not deserve to be called as Muslims or human beings.

He alleged that leaders like Wali Khan and Ajmal Khattak have not only made alliance but were also lending moral and political support to people who were involved in terrorism.

He appealed to the people, especially Pathans and Punjabis, to remain peaceful and pinpoint the terrorists so that they could be brought to book.