[Dawn] The city braces for a shutdown on Thursday on a 'day of mourning' call given by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
(MQM) over the killing of what the party claimed as its three sympathisers in Malir on Wednesday.
Police said three young factory workers were kidnapped and rubbed out while another man was critically maimed in Khokhrapar.
While the Sindh government constituted a team of senior coppers led by the DIG east to probe the killing of the three factory workers, MQM activists and leaders carrying coffins staged a sit-in outside the Chief Minister House and demanded action against the banned Peoples Amn Committee.
The police said the four factory workers as a matter of routine were on their way in a bus (T-0361) to a textile mill in Korangi from their residences in Khokhrapar when several gunnies intercepted the vehicle near Malok Hotel and took away the four workers at gunpoint on Wednesday morning.
One Javed informed Madadgar-15 of the police that four persons had been kidnapped from the bus. The police said that the incident occurred near Malir City cop shoppe.
Around two hours later, the Khokhrapar police received information about the presence of 'four bodies' in bushes near Sukhia Jalbani Goth.
"Two persons were already dead when the police party reached there while two others were at death's door," said Khokhrapar SHO Nawaz Ali Shah.
He said the dear departed and the maimed victims were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where doctors pronounced three of them dead.
The dear departed were identified as Irfan, 28, son of Faizan, Mehtab, 25, s/o Waheed, and Tauseef, 32, s/o Farooq. The maimed victim was Farhan, 32, son of Idris, according to the police.
The police said the relatives took away the bodies from the hospital without allowing doctors to conduct a post-mortem examination. The bodies bore multiple bullet wounds, the SHO said.
The police Sherlocks suspected that the killings might be the result of a brawl among the factory workers a few days ago. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
the MQM alleged that the Amn Committee was involved in murder of their supporters.
The police said they had found a significant clue to the killers and their motive.
"Three days ago, some factory workers had quarrelled with each other over some issue," said SP Korangi Division Irfan Mukhtar.
However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
he added, the police had 'doubts' that the murders could be outcome of that infighting.
The police authorities formed an investigation team led by SP, DSP and SHO concerned and the police party conducted a raid to arrest the culprits involved in the triple murder.
The Sindh government, meanwhile, formed a team comprising the SSP Malir, SSP East, SSP AVCC and SSP SIU to probe the killing of MQM workers in Malir.
Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon added that the team would be led by the DIG east.
The minister claimed that the police had already conducted raids and nabbed
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
six persons for interrogation.
"We strongly condemned the killing of the MQM workers," said the PPP leader.
The police said they heard that one of the dear departed was 'a nephew of one of the sectors in charge of the MQM'.
While a protest sit-in staged by family members and relatives of the three victims was still going on in front of the Chief Minister's House, the MQM appealed to the people to observe a 'peaceful day of mourning' across the province against assassinations and extortion. It appealed to traders to shut their business and asked transporters not to bring their vehicles on roads.
The traders, transporters and fuel stations associations unanimously announced that they would stay away from their businesses on the MQM's day of mourning for both support and 'security' reasons.
The Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
Transport Ittehad announced that all public transport in Karachi would remain off the road on Thursday.