September 9, 2002	Monday	Rajab 1, 1423

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MULTAN, Sept 8: Four alleged activists of the outlawed Lashkar-i- Jhangvi were killed in Kehror Pucca area of Lodhran district in a ‘shoot-out’ with police on Sunday morning.

According to a police press note, Kehror Pucca city police station SHO, Mushtaq Ahmed, with his subordinates, was headed for Adda Zakira to make recoveries on the disclosures of the accompanying LJ activists Muhammad Akram and Muhammad Wasim.

The two accused were arrested, according to police claim, in the third week of August from Chak 47/WB of Vehari district. Both carried a head-money of Rs0.5m each. They were currently in custody of the Kehror Pucca city police in a case registered under section 548 and 392 PPC.

The Lodhran police press note further claimed that when the Kehror Pucca city police team was near Pul Rinf Jadah, a white Suzuki Khyber, without a number plate, overtook the police vehicle (LD-4569), and stopped before it.

“Two men came out of the car and fired at the tyres of the police vehicle, deflating them. The police took positions, and responded. But in the meanwhile, the attackers managed to free the accused, and fled in their car.

Immediately afterwards, the Lodhran district police was put on alert.

A team of Kehror Pucca Saddar police station, led by SHO/SI Mazhar Hayat Hiraj was patrolling near Pattan Shah Abu Tahir got the information that the assailants and fugitives were headed towards Head Manjha.

The at once began looking for the culprits on Marri Bhagu- Mailsi Road. After a short while, they spotted a car coming from the opposite direction near the Nauqabilwa railway crossing.

The Saddar police team blocked the road and confronted the car but he passengers opened fire. When the police retaliated the outlaws abandoned their car and ran for cover in the nearby cotton field.

Then an exchange of fire took place which resulted in the death of four criminals, including Akram and Waseem. The other two could not be identified; one managed to escape.

The police claimed to have recovered two Kalashnikov rifles and 160 rounds, two mousers, including their 30 rounds and two magazines (literature) of LJ organization.

Bodies of the alleged terrorists were removed to the Lodhran DHQ hospital where people and personnel of the intelligence agencies identified the two others as Shahnawaz Kalhorra (r/o Khangarh, district Muzaffargarh) and Hafeezullah (r/o Khokharabad, district Leiah).

Shahnawaz was among the four LJ activists who escaped from Dera Ghazi Khan central jail on Dec 24, 1997. He was also accused of the Mondka massacre of 16 people in Muzafargarh district in 1998.

Hafeezullah was named in Karamdad Qureshi massacre of 16 people, murder of MPA Ghulam Muhammad Swag, and Mondka massacre. Waseem is alleged to have had a role in several terrorist acts, including the murder of former state minister Saddiq Khan Kanju.