July 12, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1, 1423

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RAWALPINDI, July 11: Four persons were shot dead while more than 12 others sustained injuries on Thursday after some masked gunmen opened fire on the participants of a horse race at a race club situated at Chakri Road, eye-witnesses and police said.

The race, which is held twice a week, was in full swing and about 300 spectators were present there, when three persons reached there on a motorcycle at about 3pm, Mehmood Ahmed, one of the injured, said.

“Two of them entered the club while the third one stayed outside,” he said adding “the two persons, who seemed to be in their 30s and were carrying a 30-bore repeater, opened fire on the spectators.” Another injured person said: “After the firing, there was a stampede in the ground.”

He added that though security guards and policemen were present there, they dared not to stop the armed men. He said later, the assailants escaped on their motorcycle, which was without the number plate.

While fleeing, they continued firing, eye-witnesses said. The dead were identified as Hamyoon, Babar, Shahid and Zumard. Hamyoon and Babar are stated to be the real brothers.

On the other hand, 9 of the injured, who were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, are: Nazar Hussain, Faiz Mohammad, Younus, Javaid, Babar Hameed, Irshad Malik, Shahid, Wajid and Mehmood Ahmed. According to the eye-witnesses, some people who sustained minor injuries were provided first-aid from the nearby clinics and later relieved.