KARACHI: Sindh police chief Iqbal Mehmood has been relieved from his duties after a three-month stint. Ghulam Haider Jamali, Anti-Corruption chairman and a former Sindh additional IG, has been appointed as acting IGP of the province, The Express Tribune learnt on Monday.

Mehmood assumed the charge of new IGP Sindh in the first week of April 2014.

Federal government issued the notification of Mehmood’s removal. However, Sindh chief secretary directed Mehmood to report to the Establishment Division Islamabad.

Sources revealed that Mehmood had left the charge of the IGP Sindh of his own volition and was not attending office over the last five days. There was a rift between the former IGP and some officials of the Sindh government because of the procurement of armoured personnel carriers (APCs) for the Sindh police.

“What the Sindh government basically wanted was to get commission from the procurement deal of the APCs. They simply wanted the IG to sign the procurement papers,” a source privy to the matter revealed.

Iqbal Mehmood resisted the attempt because he realised he would be blamed for any defects in the equipment at a later stage. He wanted to constitute a panel comprising ministers of the Sindh government, home department and the police department and avoid being pressured into signing procurement papers for APCs.

Another reason for the removal of Iqbal Mehmood is the fact that he transferred several officers of the SP and SSP cadre and brought in replacements on the basis of merit, said the officer.

Moreover, the chief minister had removed the powers to transfer officers of SP and SSP rank from the IG and given them to the provincial chief secretary.

The Sindh IG could now only transfer and post officers of the DSP rank.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2014.

It does not matter that there are no rules that allow anyone to charge vehicle owners for parking. These contractors, sub-contractors as well as their collectors set up shop at any suitable site and start harassing vehicle owners for parking fees.

The charges at these sites vary according to the whims and wishes of the collector and the sub-contractor. At some sites, the parking fees are Rs40 per vehicle; at others, it may go up to Rs60. The official parking fee for a car is Rs20, according to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

What is remarkable is that most of these sites are not regulated by any of the civic agencies. The contractors do not even provide any insurance against the theft of vehicles parked at the sites.

Charged parking sites may well be the next lucrative source of income for opportunists as the fields of land grabbing and water hydrants get saturated. Recently, the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee jumped on the bandwagon and was given charge of the parking sites on Zaibunissa Street and its adjoining areas.

Enter the law enforcers

Tuesday night saw the first action taken by the paramilitary soldiers against the accused who they claim were workers of a political party, involved in the charged parking racket.

The Rangers arrested around 30 suspects from different areas of the city. According to sources, the suspects were arrested in a targeted campaign against the ‘illegal parking mafia’ in Boulton Market, Empress Market, Sindh Secretariat, Abdullah Haroon Road, Zainab Market, Jama Cloth Market and Gul Plaza.

These receipts are given out to motorcyclists who park their vehicles outside charged parking areas. The contractors are reportedly charging higher than the KMC-approved rates. PHOTO: EXPRESS

“These men used bogus receipts of charge parking to extort money from the citizens,” said a Rangers official, on the condition of anonymity. The accused are still in the Rangers’ custody and have yet to be handed over to the police.

The Rangers official told The Express Tribune that the accused had disclosed important information during the interrogation. “The money collected from illegal parking was deposited to a political party,” he said. “We are not taking action against the KMC or cantonment boards. This action was against the illegal parking mafias using the names of the KMC and Cantonment.”

According to the Rangers official, the illegal parking mafias are operating in various parts of the city, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Federal B Area, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad and Tariq Road.

Citizens are compelled to pay the charges out of fear of losing their vehicles from the parking. “There is no place in Karachi where the parking mafia is not operational,” said Farhan Khan, a resident of Gulberg. “Every mall and commercial area has an affiliated parking mafia. You simply cannot park your vehicle without paying them.”

Officially, there are only 57 parking sites being run by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in the city.  According to the corporation’s rates, Rs5 is the charge for motorcycles, Rs20 for cars, Rs30 for coasters and Rs100 for buses. “Basically, it is the car washing mafia that is operating in the city,” KMC charge parking director Raza Rizvi told The Express Tribune. “This car wash mafia used to operate in the Old City areas and they have expanded their illegal industry to the rest of the city in the shape of charged parking.”

For his part, the Rangers spokesperson said that those involved in the illegal business will be brought to task. The decision to take action against them was taken in a recent meeting with the Rangers DG, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2014.

KARACHI: A police officer was killed and three policemen and a passerby were wounded when a police mobile van was attacked in Korangi area of Karachi late on Tuesday.

According to details, the police van came under attack when on a routine patrolling in Korangi No 4.

Police officials said that at least six armed men on three motorcycles fired on the patrolling van. As a result of the attack, ASI Ibrahim was killed on the spot and three other policemen, head constable Idrees and constables Akbar and Imran were wounded.

A passerby, identified as Abbas, was also wounded in the attack. The victims were moved to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

While talking to media personnel, Additional IG Ghulam Qadir Thebo said that police officials had managed to return fire and one attacker is believed to have been injured in the attack.

Landhi division SP Faisal Noor said that the armed men used 9mm pistols and sub-machine guns (SMGs), hinting that the could be a reprisal for the onging operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan.

Further investigation into the attacks are underway.

KARACHI: Lawyer Mubarak Ali Kazmi was shot dead in Karachi on Wednesday as violence in different parts of the city claimed four lives including that of a woman.

Kazmi, son of Mustafa Haider Kazmi and son-in-law of renowned scholar Allama Talib Jauhri, was shot dead in Block 13-D in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, within the limits of the Aziz Bhatti police station.

The deceased was on his way to home, when at least four armed men riding on two motorcycles targeted him.

“While going home, he had stopped his car to buy mangoes. Moments after he bought the mangoes and restarted his car, armed motorcyclists opened indiscriminate fire at him,” says Aziz Bhatti DSP Nasir Lodhi.

“Armed assailants were already following him and targeted him with proper planning,” DSP Lodhi added. He was shot at least four times and died on the spot. His body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy.

Police officials hinted that he could have been targeted for his sect, adding that Kazmi belonged to the Shia community. Further investigation are underway.

DSP Lodhi further claimed that an encounter with Kazmi’s assailants also took place, in which one of the assailants was injured. However, they managed to escape.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah condemned the killing. He directed the Inspector General Sindh Police to arrest the culprits involved in the murder, Radio Pakistan reported.

In a separate incident, Huma, 45, was killed and her husband Bilal, 55, and son Hussain, 24, were wounded when armed motorcyclists opened indiscriminate fire at their Toyota Corolla car in the Kareemabad locality within the limits of the Azizabad police station.

The woman died on the spot, while her husband and son were admitted in the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors described their condition as out of danger.

DSP Saleem Akhtar Siddiqui said that the victims belong to the Shia community, and were returning to their home in Nazimabad after visiting someone in Gulshan-e-Maymar when armed motorcyclists targeted them. Authorities believe that the attack was motivated by sectarian differences.

Further investigations into the attack are underway.

Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslieem (MWM) leader Allama Nasir Abbas Jafri condemned the incidents of target killings, and said that since Ramazan had begun, 15 people belonging to the Shia community had been killed in Karachi.

He lamented that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) had failed to arrest the culprits responsible for the latest wave of sectarian violence. He demanded the government and LEAs to crackdown on militant outfits, and demanded religious seminaries to avoid sectarian killings in Karachi.

KARACHI: Three suspected militants and a police ASI were killed while one Ranger and a female police officer was injured in separate incidents on Friday evening.

Rangers raided a suspected terrorist hideout in Manghopir area of Karachi on Friday evening in which three suspects were killed and two others were apprehended in an injured condition.

A Sindh Rangers spokesperson said that troops raided a location on Ijtimah Gah road, Manghopir after receiving intelligence reports that terrorists linked with a banned organisation were holed up in the area.

As Rangers approached the location, suspects hiding in an isolated house fired on the paramilitary troops.

Rangers returned fire.

Encountering stiff resistance, additional Rangers troops were sought and dispatched to the area.

After a fierce gun battle, the Rangers spokesperson said three suspects were killed. Two others were apprehended in an injured condition. 1 suspect managed to flee owing to darkness in the area.

The spokesperson added that a Ranger was also injured in the gunfight.

The injured Ranger was shifted to the Rangers hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the injured suspects were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Rangers claimed they had recovered weapons from the house including three pistols, seven hand grenades, suicide jackets and explosives.

The spokesperson further claimed that the suspects were linked to attacks on Rangers and police. The spokesperson added that suspects were involved in the suicide attack on the Rangers HQ located in North Nazimabad and a number of other blasts in District West and Central.

Further, the suspects are believed to be involved in target killings of police officials, kidnappings for ransom to raise funds for militant organisations.

Prior to the raid, the spokesperson claimed, the suspects were belived to have been planning attacks in the city in the coming days.

Raid on Peoples Amn Committee hideout

Separately, the Rangers raided hideouts of the defunct Peoples Amn Committee in Old Golimar area of Karachi.

A Rangers spokesperson said that they arrested two suspected gangsters. They also recovered weapons, walkie talkie sets, and narcotics.

ASI killed, lady officer injured

An ASI with the Police National Volunteer service was killed and a female police officer was injured when armed men riding on motorcycles opened fire at their camp near Liaquatabad on Friday evening.

DSP Wajahat Hussain said that the officers had been posted at a temporary police camp near Firdous shopping mall in Liaquatabad. Police camps have been established near major shopping centres ahead of Eid.

ASI Muhammad Ali was killed in the attack while the female officer, posted to the Liaquatabad Women’s Police Station was injured. The dead and injured were shifted to hospital.

Their assailants managed to escape.

KARACHI: Four Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants were killed in an encounter with the police in Karachi on Monday evening, police officials said.

The four militants were killed during an exchange of fire with the District Malir police near Buraq petrol pump on the Super Highway, near Sohrab Goth.

DSP Qamar Ahmed told The Express Tribune that a raid was conducted on a tip-off of the militants’ hideout, adding that upon seeing the police, the militants opened fire on them and tried to escape under the cover of fire.

However, the police retaliated and during a brief encounter, four militants were killed, while four others managed to escape in a white Toyota Corolla.

The bodies of the militants killed in the encounter were shifted to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth after medico-legal formalities were completed at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Two of them have been identified as Noor Alam and Rahib Khan.

DSP Ahmed claimed that the deceased militants, besides being involved in attacks on police and rangers in Karachi, were involved in kidnapping for ransom activities to generate funds for the TTP.

Police officials also claim to have recovered two hand grenades, two sub-machineguns (SMGs), a pistol and a car from their possession.

Iqbal, however, does not believe he is lucky. He has been unable to get out of bed since the incident and gunshot wounds he sustained are a constant reminder of that dreadful night.

On July 18, Iqbal and his colleague, Noman, were on the way home in Gulshan-e-Iqbal when they were intercepted by two young men on a motorcycle near Masjid Baitul Mukarram. The assailants gruffly ordered them to hand over their wallets and cell phones.

“The attackers were terrified and appeared to be novices in the world of crime,” said Iqbal, speaking slowly and in pauses. “They grabbed my wallet as soon as they saw it,” he recalled. “The problem arose when I reached for my phone in my front pocket. The young man sitting in the back opened fire at me.” Iqbal reckons the robbers must have been spooked by his hand movement when he reached for the phone. He was hit in the thigh and in the elbow and the trauma knocked him unconscious. When he came around, he found himself at Aga Khan University Hospital.

Karachi police has repeatedly claimed to have brought about a decline in street crime. Notwithstanding the rhetoric in press conferences and statements, the situation on the ground is much graver. The 10 people killed in attempted robberies and four dozen others scarred with gunshot wounds are a question mark on the law enforcers’ claims.

When the matter was raised with officials of the police department, they said that they had focused on providing security to markets, bazaars and mosques during the holy month. The city’s police chief, in various meetings with his subordinates, had directed them to ensure the provision of security at all shopping centres.

The personnel deployed for snap checking near shopping centres, meanwhile, busied themselves with the collection of Eidi. Visitors to Zaibunissa Street in Saddar complained of police personnel compelling them to give bribes in the name of Eidi. “They asked for my motorcycle documents which are registered in my elder brother’s name,” said Kamran, a resident of Korangi who had gone to Zaibunissa Street for Eid shopping. “The fact that the motorcycle was not registered in my name suddenly became a big issue and I had to give Rs200 as Eidi to be let off.” He questioned how a police force could be expected to protect the citizens when they were so busy collecting Eidi.

With the presence of law enforcers restricted to shopping centres and malls, the majority of the robberies in Ramazan have taken place when people have been on their way home. “Shopping centres are already relatively safe as any robber would think twice before trying to commit a robbery in such a massive rush,” said Sultan Shah, a resident of Keamari, who recently fell prey to muggers on MT Khan Road, on the way back from Boat Basin. “The problem is on the dark roads where there are no police or Rangers.”

The police, when questioned on the issue, repeated the same old excuse about numbers. “It is common knowledge that we are terribly short on strength,” said Karachi police spokesperson inspector Atiq Shaikh. “We can provide police to the markets but we do not have enough resources to man every street in the city.”

When the issue of Eidi trend in the police department was raised before him, Shaikh was quick to say that he preferred to call it ‘corruption’. “We will take strict action against those officials and personnel who are involved in corruption,” he stressed.

Police kill two suspected robbers in encounter

The encounter occurred in Clifton Block 7 according to district South police chief Abdul Khalique Shaikh, who said that the two criminals were killed when the police thwarted an attempted robbery at a money changer’s office. On the other hand, the police said the suspects were looting citizens who withdrew money from the bank and the money changers. Both suspects were injured during the encounter and died on the way to Jinnah hospital. Their bodies were later shifted to the Edhi morgue, where one of them was identified as Shoaib Bengali.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2014.

“We found the first body at 5.30 pm on Wednesday,” said Clifton ASP Dr Asad. “No one complained to the police that their relatives had drowned at the beach,” he said, explaining the delay in recovering the deceased.

Initially, rescuers from the civil authorities and divers from Edhi participated in the rescue operation. At 11.45 pm on Wednesday night, authorities requested the navy’s assistance. “We were already prepared to conduct this operation,” the Pakistan Navy spokesperson told The Express Tribune. “Our rescue teams, including divers’ teams and Sea King helicopters, were immediately moved to the site.”

The first two helicopters and three teams of divers – with nine members each – reached the beach at midnight on Wednesday. However, the operation had to be restarted at 5.30 am on Thursday as the darkness prevented any rescue procedures.

The Maritime Security Agency and Pakistan Coast Guard have held back from the rescue efforts, saying it does not fall within their jurisdiction and they are unable to carry out a search and rescue operation due to the rough conditions at sea. Edhi’s rescue services officials have also been asked to stay out of the water in order to avoid any further mishap.

Earlier on Thursday night, Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that 21 bodies were recovered from Sea View, and two from Hawk’s Bay. Siddiqui said that 11 bodies were recovered on Wednesday, while 12 were found on Thursday. Later on Thursday, two more bodies were found from Gadani and Hub. “The rescue operation will continue until the recovery of each and every body,” Siddiqui said.

Section 144 was already imposed on swimming at the beach but a large number of people went there to celebrate Eid, Siddiqui said. Section 144 bans the gathering of more than four people at one place for rallies and protests.

The bodies of 18 people have been identified and handed over to their families after medico-legal formalities were completed at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The bodies of seven more have yet to be identified and are at the Edhi morgue. The victims were aged between 12 to 30 years and most belonged to the Pashtun community. The deceased include residents of Orangi Town, Keamari, Korangi, Sohrab Goth, Hijrat Colony, Muslimabad and Baldia Town.

Authorities say that at least a dozen people could still be lost at sea.  “This is not the first time we have gone to Sea View for a swim,” said Kashif, a resident of Orangi Town, whose maternal uncle and brother are still missing. “This time the size and speed of the waves escalated and were pushing us towards the deep waters. I got scared and ran to shore, but I saw my uncle and brother disappearing in front of my eyes.”

Some affected families did not know their relatives had drowned until news channels covered the incident. Some of the deceased were visiting Karachi from across the country for the Eid holidays. “We thought they would be with their other relatives and we tried to contact their cellphones, but they didn’t respond,” said Kamran, whose relatives Fazalur Rehman and Aziz were visiting from Quetta. Kamran later identified the two bodies of his relatives at the hospital’s mortuary.

Beaches were sealed in Karachi and an extra contingent of police deployed in the areas to prevent any prospective swimmers. There were reports of scuffles between families trying to picnic at the beach and the police, as they prevented them from heading to the shore. The rescue operation concluded at 9 pm on Thursday due to the darkness. Officials said operations will commence once again on Friday morning.

IGP Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali has constituted a high-powered inquiry committee under Additional IG Karachi to ascertain facts and fix responsibility into the tragic drowning incident at Sea View. The committee will submit its report within 24 hours. In the wake of the incident, the IGP has suspended the area’s SHO and removed DSP Darakshan.

Families await remains at the shore

Almost a dozen families interviewed by The Express Tribune claimed that their loved ones drowned at the beach during the Eid break, even as officials contradicted these claims. According to Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, his office received complaints of 23 persons who had drowned and all the bodies had been recovered. “Seventeen bodies have been handed over to the families while the others are awaiting legal formalities,” he said. “We are still carrying out the rescue work.”

The families of these missing persons, along with police and rescue workers, occupied the beach spot in front of Dolmen Mall, as the shoreline was off-limits to the public.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2014.

Police have arrested over 40 people from beaches in the metropolis for violating Section 144, which was imposed across the city on Thursday.

The rescue operation, which saw a brief hiatus on Thursday, was resumed on Friday morning by the Pakistan Navy who recovered nine more bodies.

“Pakistan Navy has recovered 32 bodies during the three-day search and rescue operation. The operation is still under way and the navy is continuously extending full support to the civil administration in order to recover the drowned individuals,” the Pakistan Navy spokesperson told The Express Tribune.

Scores of people were still at Sea View who were looking for their missing relatives, however, civil authorities have a record of only three more persons whose whereabouts are unknown. “The families of three more people have just contacted us,” said Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui. “We are trying our level best to search and recover these three bodies and of course, we will request the navy to continue the search and rescue operation on Saturday if these three missing people are not recovered.”

Appreciating the role of the Pakistan Navy, he said, “We salute them for conducting a successful operation.”

The responsibility of the tragic drowning has not been pinned yet. Sindh IGP Ghulam Haider Jamali has already formed an inquiry committee; however, the committee has not prepared its report as yet. “The investigation will not only be limited to the police but will also look into the role of Clifton Board Cantonment, Defence Housing Authority, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the district management who are generating revenue from these beaches,” said a senior police officer who is a member of the probe committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2014.

Unfortunately, police stations in Karachi have taken the form of musical chairs, with SHOs frequently being transferred, not allowed to stay in one place for too long in most cases. These transfers and postings have often been controversial in the absence of a set criterion. In most cases, SHOs are appointed on the basis of ‘recommendations’; these may come in the form of a political ‘sifaarish’ or through payment of a hefty sum, depending on the scale of income the police station offers.

For most police stations in the city, the minimum going rate is Rs500,000. This may vary depending on the area covered by the police station and may go as high as Rs1.5 million in some cases.

The rate is set keeping in mind the law and order situation as well as the level of organised crime in the area. Police stations in more violence-hit areas have lower rates because most officers do not wish to take charge over these police stations. Areas that offer a lucrative source of income in the form of kickbacks from activities of organised crime such as gambling, narcotics, land grabbing and roadside stalls fetch a far higher price.

For instance, police stations in Lyari, Brigade, Mehmoodabad and Shah Faisal Colony are among those where no officer wishes to be appointed as SHO due to the frequent clashes and target killings. On the other hand, the police stations located in posh areas, commercial zones as well as the city’s outskirts are the favourites because of the abundance of white-collar crime, smuggling and land grabbing opportunities. These include Preedy, Darakshan, Mithadar, Docks and Jackson police stations to name a few.

The income from these transfers and postings is so rewarding that private agents such as Waseem Beater, who enjoy good relations with senior police officials, have made it a regular business. The majority of these SHOs are appointed through a ‘tender’, which is the term used for appointment through payment of a fixed sum of money.

“When a new SHO is appointed to a particular police station, the first question his colleagues ask of him is whether he was appointed through a ‘sifraish’ or through a tender,” explained an on-duty SHO, on the condition of anonymity.

Subsequently, the officer is appointed as SHO to the police station of his choice for a ‘probationary’ period of three months. His tenure may be extended if he is smart enough to keep his patrons happy by providing them with a regular source of income thereafter. It is perhaps this very reason that the average tenure of an SHO in Sindh was 28 days during the tenure of the previous government, the CID DIG Zafar Bukhari told a seminar earlier this year.

There is no fixed time frame for the tenure of the SHO’s appointment to a particular police station. “How is it possible for any SHO to understand the dynamics of a particular area if he is only going to be there for a month?” questioned a former DIG who was posted in Karachi. “These SHOs are transferred for any number of reasons, be it political pressure, decrease in kickbacks to higher officials or just because the senior officials are unhappy with him.” He added that there was no shortage of well-reputed inspectors in the police department, yet most police stations were being run by sub-inspectors.

That is not to say that no one ever raised their voice against the corrupt system. Former provincial home minister Zulfiqar Mirza, during his tenure, had publicly criticised the way police stations were being ‘sold to the highest bidder’.

Following these revelations, the then Karachi police chief AIG Saud Mirza had decided to set a written exam through which SHOs would be appointed. The test was meant to evaluate the professional competence of the SHOs and in turn, discourage the practice of ‘selling’ police stations. Unfortunately, Zulfiqar Mirza was no longer the home minister and the new minister, Manzoor Wassan, was not too thrilled with the idea. In the dispute that followed, AIG Saud Mirza resigned from the police department and his recommendations were never followed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2014. 

KARACHI: The station house officer (SHO) of Preedy police station Inspector Ghazanfar Kazmi was shot dead in Karachi early on Wednesday in a targeted attack.

According to details, Inspector Kazmi was commuting between the police station and his home in his white Toyota Corolla when armed assailants fired at his car near Uncle Sarya Hospital in Garden within the limits of Nabi Buksh police station, said SSP Sheeraz Nazeer. He added that the deceased was shot multiple times and died on the spot.

Inspector Kazmi’s body was later shifted to Civil Hospital.

The Preedy SHO was a senior officer of the Sindh police. In addition to serving as the head of a number of police stations in Karachi, he had also served in the Federal Investigation Agency and Anti Car Lifting Cell during his career.

Senior police officials including IGP Sindh and Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo also reached the hospital following his killing. They also visited the crime scene and inquired about the incident.

Police officials said that Kazmi was the senior officer of the police and he had also played a vital role in Karachi operation in 1990s. Kazmi was also playing a vital role in the ongoing Karachi operation.

Since a concerted operation against criminals began in Karachi on September 5, 2013, 105 police officials have been killed, including SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan and Inspector Shafiq Tanoli in targeted attacks.

Three people were shot dead when armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire at the Dargah Nazar Shah, located near Nasir Jump in Korangi, within the limits of Zaman Town police station. “The two assailants initially came to the shrine and left after shaking hands with the caretaker,” recalled the lone eyewitness of the incident. “About two minutes later, they entered the shrine again and opened fire.” The assailants fled the scene immediately after committing the crime.

As a result of the firing, two victims were killed on the spot, while a third succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Civil Hospital, Karachi. One of the deceased was later identified as 45-year-old Zakir Hussain, son of Yaqoob. The other two victims were identified as Nawaz and Younus.

Previous attacks

This was not the first attack on a shrine in Karachi. In February 2014, at least eight people were killed and over a dozen wounded when assailants attacked a shrine in Baldia Town. At least 40 people, belonging to various ethnicities, had been present at the Astana of Baba Pir Mehrban Shah at the time of the attack. Though the police had suspected the involvement of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid had declined his group’s involvement in the attack.

On January 7 this year, the decapitated bodies of six men were found from a mud house adjacent to the Ayub Shah shrine in Gulshan-e-Maymar. The police, in this case, claim to have arrested members of a banned outfit who were responsible for the killings. Separately, at least eight people had lost their lives and over 60 injured when two suicide bombers had attacked the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Karachi in October 2010.

Investigations

The shrine that was attacked on Saturday had been running since the last 20 years. Following the incident, a large contingent of law enforcers reached the site. The police found at least 23 empty shells of pistols. In this case too, the police suspect the involvement of militants. “It is premature to say anything but it seems like a continuity of the attacks on shrines in Karachi,” Korangi division SSP Nazeer Ahmed told The Express Tribune. No case has been registered yet.

Shortly after this incident, two men were shot dead in Saadat Colony within the limits of Shah Faisal Colony police station. The deceased were identified as 37-year-old Asif, son of Shakeel and his maternal uncle, 50-year-old Abdul Shakoor.

Police officials said that the victims were residents of the same area and used to run a motorcycle mechanic shop. SP Ali Asif said that the two assailants had come to the shop and after paying them for repairing their motorcycle, they shot the victims. They were shot multiple times and died on the spot. Their bodies were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy. The Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) spokesperson, while claiming their affiliation with the party, said that they were killed over sectarian basis.

Separately, three people were shot dead and another wounded by gunfire in Sohrab Goth. The deceased were identified as Hameedullah, Abdul Hadi and Muhammad Ahmed. DSP Qamar Ahmed said that the victims were of Afghan origin and were involved in a dispute with the Mullah Samad group. The DSP added that Mullah Samad’s men could be behind the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2014.

This story is not about the farce cries of pity though. Neither is it about the lives of the families who have lost their bread-winners in such incidents. This story is about those who have come to terms with death and are no longer repelled by the gory scenes of blood and despair in the aftermath of a blast.

These are the rescue workers who drive around in their ill-equipped vehicles that are passed off as ambulances in the city. They are largely employed by charity organisations such as Edhi and Chhipa and are the ones who usually clear up the mess of the blast site. The police cordon off the site; the politicians sometimes appear to condemn; the bomb disposal squad scans the site for more explosives. It is only after these formalities are dispensed with that rescue workers begin the most menial job of the ordeal: collecting the scattered remains of the victims.

For the layperson with a not-so-strong stomach, simply the sight of the bloody organs may be enough to spill the contents of the stomach. The rescue workers, however, get down to the task each time, picking up the almost indiscernible human remains and depositing them in white cotton sheets. More often than not, the body parts are unrecognisable and will be buried as unidentified.

They sweep the ground inch-by-inch, collecting each piece of human flesh from the site, the nearby buildings and even from the trees, making it possible for the forensic experts to examine the nature of the blast. The role of forensic experts comes much later.

In developed countries, such crime scenes are scanned thoroughly and the evidence is collected by trained personnel employed by special crime scene-cleaning companies. These professionals don full-body suits, scanners and oxygen masks and are required to store each and every piece of evidence in a standard manner.

Unfortunately, the Edhi and Chhipa volunteers lack such equipment. They go about their jobs without any masks, their clothes often stained with human blood.

Every rescue worker has dozens of moving stories to tell about their experiences in collecting and transporting the ripped-apart human bodies. They have managed the city’s most devastating blasts – the Nishtar Park blast on October 18, the Karsaz blast, the Chehlum blast at Light House and the brutal attack on Abbas Town.

Forty-three-year-old Muhammad Asif Khan has been volunteering for the Chhipa welfare organisation for the past 20 years. “We have no training for the job but I don’t think you need it. What you really need is courage and passion to do the job,” he said. “I still can’t forget those moments when people were screaming and running like crazy and human chunks of human flesh were stuck to the walls,” he said, speaking about the Karsaz blast. Admittedly, it has taken him a long time to come to terms with the requirements of the job. “When I initially started the job, I used to have horrible nightmares. But you eventually reach a point when your senses adapt to the nature of the job.”

An Edhi driver, 51-year-old Shahid Khan, has become a crime scene expert of sorts, due to his 22-year experience in the field. “Our first priority is to shift the injured to hospital. The bodies are then shifted to the morgue and in the end, we started collecting the remains,” he explained. Referring to the suicide attack on former President Asif Ali Zardari’s chief security officer, Bilal Shaikh, he said that he had found the alleged suicide bomber’s head from the rooftop of the five-storey building located near the blast site.

While the rescue workers are picking up the debris, the police do their work on the sidelines; managing the onlookers, preserving the scene of crime, lifting finger prints and photographing the site.

“After rescuing the injured, our first priority is to keep away the onlookers and give way to the bomb disposal squad,” DIG Tahir Naveed told The Express Tribune. “We also collect the remains for DNA analysis.”

After being examined at the hospital, the remains are shifted to the Edhi morgue for DNA testing. “We preserve the remains as the law enforcement agencies have to perform DNA tests,” said an Edhi employee, Anwar Kazmi. “The maximum time we store the remains is two months. After that, we bury them in the Edhi graveyard.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2014.

KARACHI: With the day off to a gruesome start, at least two people were killed and three bodies found in Karachi on Friday.

An Irani petrol seller, identified as Nabi Buksh, was killed in an incident of firing near Qatar Mor in Orangi, while another person was gunned down in Shah Faisal Colony.

In a separate incident, police found two bodies in Jam Goth in the Malir Memon Goth area of the city.

Meanwhile, a body bearing torture marks was also found in Shah Latif area. The hands and feet were tied up, according to Express News, and the deceased was reportedly kidnapped before he was killed.

The bodies were shifted to hospitals for identification.

The 35-year-old mother of two had come to drop her elder son for his class at the institute when an unknown assailant shot her in the head. The incident took place as her three-year-old son watched from the passenger seat of their car, parked at an empty plot behind the institute at Lane 8, Bukhari Commercial.

The incident, which the police believe was an attempted mugging, occurred at around 1pm, when the ill-fated Taskeen Asad, wife of Asad Abbas, was about to start her grey-coloured Vitz.

According to witnesses, a lone assailant riding a motorcycle was responsible for the murder. “A clean shaven young man, wearing shalwar kameez, rode up to her and shot her once,” explained a shopkeeper. “She was bleeding profusely from the head wound and died on the spot.”

Upon hearing the gunshot, a crowd rushed to the spot but the assailant had already escaped. “We waited for the ambulance for some time but it was getting late so we decided to take her to the hospital in my car,” said a young man who had rushed her to a hospital. “I think she had passed away by that time.”

The red circle marks the point where Taskeen Asad was shot dead by the unknown assailant.

Asad had been driving her son to the institute since the last couple of months. “She usually came to pick and drop her son from the institute,” Adil, an employee at the institute, told The Express Tribune. “Thank God, the child was unhurt in the incident.” The institute has been running since the last three years but this was the first time that such an incident occurred with their clientele.

Residents complained that muggings have become quite frequent in the area. They also identified spots where most muggings take place. These include the nearby areas of Sea View, Bukhari Commercial, Badar Commercial and 26th Street. “We have repeatedly asked the police to enhance the security in the area but they always respond with lame excuses of shortage of strength and lack of resources,” said Iftikhar Ali, a resident of the area.

Meanwhile, police investigators were uncertain regarding the motive behind the shooting. “Her purse, which also had her cell phone, has disappeared,” Clifton division SP Dr Asad told The Express Tribune. “The investigation is in its preliminary stages and we cannot say anything about the motive at the moment.”

Though the family of the victim refused to talk to the police and media, it was learnt that a relative of the victim had also been killed in a similar manner, some time ago. “It is possible that the killer might have tried to deceive the police by taking her purse,” said SHO Asif Munawar. “Usually, two or more people are involved in mugging cases and do not kill their target unless the latter offer some form of resistance.”

The police have also obtained footage from the close circuit cameras installed at the institute. The CCTV, however, did not capture the incident as it occurred at the rear end of the building. No case was registered till the filing of this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2014.

KARACHI: More clues were found about a body recovered from the sea on Sunday, as officials and family members of Sindh Police Additional Inspector General (AIG) Inspection Ali Sher Jhakarani tried to determine whether the body was that of Ovasil Ali Jhakrani who had been missing for three days.

Ovais Ali Jhakrani had gone missing three days ago after he had left his home in Karachi to travel to Islamabad for official business. His alleged kidnappers had called the AIG seeking ransom on Sunday.

However, on Monday, the kidnappers called to say that since the family had refused to pay ransom, they had killed him and thrown his body into the sea. This prompted his family members to visit the Edhi morgue.

However, Edhi officials said that they had only recovered the body a person who had drowned in the sea in the Docks area on Sunday.

The family was not sure whether the body is of Ovais or not because the body was beyond recognition. But they suspected that the body was of Ovais.

Top police officials also reached the morgue. Unable to conclusively identify the body, samples will now be extracted to conduct a DNA test to conclusively determine the identity of the body.

The minister made the revelation on a point of order during the joint session of the parliament. He added that ‘other elements’ could also be involved in the brazen attack that had left two terrorists and a petty officer of the navy dead. “An investigation is under way. I’ll get back to the house with details on Wednesday,” he told the lawmakers.

“Four terrorists were also apprehended in the operation,” navy officials said, adding that the terrorists wanted to penetrate the dockyard where naval vessels are docked.

“The attackers got onto PNS Zulfiqar which was docked at the Pakistan Navy berth,” a navy official close to the matter told The Express Tribune. “A sentry saw a suspicious movement on the ship. He raised alarm before he was shot and injured by the attackers. A petty officer rushed to the site but was immediately shot down,” he added.

Commandos from the Special Services Group (SSG) were called in immediately who engaged the terrorists in a gunfight, the official said. “It took the SSG commandoes two hours to complete the operation, he added. “However, the combing of the area continued for another six hours.”

PNS Zulfiqar is the first of the F-22P series of medium-sized warships jointly built by Pakistan and China about four years back. About 20 more ships and submarines of the Pakistan Navy were docked at the time of the attack, but the terrorists chose PNS Zulfiqar, perhaps because it came in their way first, the official said.

He claimed that the terrorists came by the sea, raising questions about the vigilance of the Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Coast Guards who are responsible for the security in Pakistan’s territorial waters.

“The place where the attack took place is one of the highest security zones of the Pakistan Navy,” he said, adding that an inquiry was under way to find out how the terrorists evaded security and why PNS Zulfiqar was picked for the attack.

Inside support

Sources said that investigators have not ruled out possible involvement of navy employees. In view of confirmed ‘inside support’ for earlier major attacks on military targets, investigators have started keeping a check on the staffers’ cellphones and their movements. In most of the major attacks, including the one at PNS Mehran base, GHQ and Kamra airbase, investigators pointed towards inside support.

In the 2009 GHQ assault, the army had detained Brigadier Ali Khan, who was serving at the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, for his alleged ties to a pan-Islamic extremist group. Similarly, defence officials had informed a parliamentary committee in June 2011 that insiders were involved in the PNS Mehran base siege in Karachi. Subsequently, three navy officers were court marshaled and sentenced.

Moreover, three low-ranking officers of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were arrested in connection with the August 16, 2012 Taliban attack on the PAF airbase Minhas at Kamra.

AIG son’s involvement

In another startling revelation, AIG Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo said that evidence also pointed to the possible involvement of Ovais Jakhrani, son of AIG Ali Sher Jakhrani.

Ovais, who had left the navy four months ago, told his family on Sept 5 that he was going to Islamabad to take CSS exams. However, his body was recovered from the sea at the PNS Dockyard on Sunday, triggering speculation that he might have been kidnapped and murdered. “He [Ovais] was not kidnapped,” AIG Thebo told The Express Tribune. “Circumstantial evidence suggests that he was involved in the assault.”

He added that naval authorities were investigating and the police would register an FIR if and when the navy approached them.  AIG Jakhrani, who is on Hajj operations duty in Saudi Arabia, received a phone call from an anonymous person on Monday telling him his son had been killed for non-payment of ransom money and that the body had been dumped into the sea. The family visited an Edhi morgue the same day to collect the body. DNA tests are being conducted to confirm his identity.

“We were shocked to learn that Ovais could be involved in the dockyard attack,” a relative told The Express Tribune.

TTP claims responsibility

The TTP claimed that it carried out the attack with help from within the navy. “The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claims responsibility for the attack on the Karachi Dockyard,” the group’s spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid told media persons by the phone from an undisclosed location on Tuesday.

Shahid also claimed “some support within the navy who helped” in the attack. He had earlier stated that he would release details of the attack but he could not share any more. Surprisingly, the Taliban claim of responsibility came late like the confirmation of the attack by the navy’s spokesman. Usually, the group claims immediately claims credit for its attacks.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2014.

KARACHI: After serving the police department for two months as acting IG Sindh, Ghulam Hyder Jamali has been made the chief of the provincial police on Wednesday.

Jamali, a grade-21 officer, had been appointed as acting IGP on July 7 this year after the then Sindh police chief Iqbal Mehmood was relieved of his duties after only a three-month stint.

Mehmood had left the charge of the IG Sindh of his own volition. There was reportedly a rift between the former IG and some officials of the Sindh government regarding the procurement of armoured personnel carriers (APCs).

Jamali, one of the most senior officers of the department, has held various posts in the past, including that of additional IG Sindh. Before he was made acting IG Sindh, he served as the Anti-Corruption chairman.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved Jamali’s appointment but the question remains whether Jamali will be a part of the commission and will he decide to go ahead with the controversial purchase of overhauled APCs.

KARACHI: Salman Kazmi, a coordinator to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Haider Abbas Rizvi, was gunned down in a firing incident in District Central of Karachi late on Wednesday night.

Kazmi, 35, was shot by armed men inside a barber’s shop in Naseerabad locality near Ayesha Manzil within the limits of Jauharabad police station.

He was shot once and succumbed to his injuries during medical treatment at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. A large number of people including leaders and workers of the party also reached the hospital and shouted against the incident.

Jauharabad SHO Anila Qadir said that the initial investigation suggests that it was not an act of target killing but he was killed as he resisted during a robbery at the barber’s shop. However, further investigations still going on.

Deceased Kazmi used to live in Gulberg locality and was a director at the KMC’s land department.

No case had been registered till the filing of this report.

Earlier, the target killing toll in the city rose to ten in 24 hours. On Wednesday afternoon, Binoria town seminary teacher was killed in Hyderi area of Karachi.

The incident took place near KDA Chowrangi, North Nazimabad, within the limits of Hyderi police station. The victim, 38-year-old Maulana Masood Baig, son of Khursheed Baig, was the administrator of the women’s wing and school section of the Jamia Binoria International.

Maulana Baig had a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi. He was also a visiting faculty member at the Islamic Training Department at the KU. He leaves behind a widow, a son and a daughter.

“Maulana Baig was going to pick up his children from a school near KDA Chowrangi,” his relative, Maulana Ismail, told The Express Tribune. “It was part of his daily routine.”

According to eyewitness accounts, at least four armed motorcyclists intercepted his car and opened fire at him. “The assailants, who had been following him for some time, targeted him when he slowed down to take a U-turn towards the school,” said one witness. “The assailants fired at his car from the left side. They stayed and waited at the spot to confirm that he breathed his last.”

He was shot at least four times with a 9mm pistol and died on the spot. The body was first taken to Ziauddin Hospital and later shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. “He was shot twice in the chest and once each in the head and arm,” said a medico-legal officer.

The victim’s father-in-law, who is also chancellor of the Jamia Binoria International, Mufti Muhammad Naeem, strongly criticised the law enforcement agencies over their failure in maintaining law and order in the city. “The complete failure of law enforcement agencies and justice system is sliding the city towards civil war,” he said.

Law enforcement agencies have failed to make any major breakthrough into the sectarian killings or arrest the perpetrators. “No doubt, a conspiracy is being hatched to incite sectarian violence in the city,” said a senior police officer, seeking anonymity. “We have two options – one to launch a crackdown against both the groups or to sort out the issue on the table by involving leaders from both the sides,” he said. “The second option is our priority because if we select the first option, it could aggravate the situation.”

On the other hand, District Central SSP Muqaddas Haider has been removed and asked to report to the Central Police Office (CPO). Korangi division Investigations SSP Noman Siddiqui has been appointed as the District Central SSP while Hyderi SHO Nadeem Tanoli has been suspended and demoted.

Eight others killed

Three people were shot dead in Korangi when assailants opened fire at their milk shop. The deceased were identified as Saleem Siddiqui, his brother Arshad, and Irfan. SHO Ahmed Butt claimed that the incident took place over attempting to resist a robbery bid.

A worker of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, identified as Qasim Raza, was shot dead when armed motorcyclists opened fire at his shop in Sharifabad. Police officials said that he might have been killed over sectarian basis.

Similarly, a member of the Shia community, who was also associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was shot dead when armed motorcyclists opened fire at his shop at Khuda Ki Basti in Surjani Town.

Iqbal Zainuddin, 45, was shot dead by armed motorcyclists when he was sitting outside his home in Manghopir road in Pak Colony area. A rickshaw driver, Akram alias Jhengu was killed and a passerby, Bilal Raheem was wounded in Gharib Shah, Lyari.

Meanwhile, Arshad, 28, son of Pir Muhammad Lashari, a suspected member of the Arshad Pappu group of Lyari gangsters was shot dead in an act of target killing in Jahanabad, Pak Colony.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2014.