KARACHI, June 21: Eleven people, including a cleric, were gunned down in the city on Friday as targeted attacks apparently on sectarian and political grounds continued unabated, police and party sources said.

Police said that Maulana Yasir Qureshi, 37, was standing outside an auto-workshop in Shah Faisal Colony when gunmen riding a motorbike fired shots at him and rode away. He sustained a fatal bullet wound in the head and died on the spot.

An official at the Shah Faisal Colony police station said: “He was a resident of Shah Faisal Colony No 4, where he also ran a madressah. The body was handed over to the family after medico-legal formalities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).”

He said that apparently the victim was killed due to sectarian reasons.

ASWJ man shot dead

An activist of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was gunned down on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road soon after he left his home on a motorcycle.

The police said that armed men fired at 31-year-old Muhammad Imran near his residence in Noman Garden and fled.

The Mobina Town police said: “He was hit by three bullets and died on the spot. The attackers used a 9mm pistol for the killing. The body was later moved to the JPMC for medico-legal formalities.”

An ASWJ spokesman condemned the killing and said that the victim was a senior party member.

ST activist found murdered

A worker of the Sunni Tehreek (ST), who had been missing since Thursday, was found shot dead in Chakiwara, police said.

They said that the body of 27-year-old Kashif Kutchhi was found in a street along Mirza Adam Khan Road.

“He was a motor mechanic and lived in Agra Taj Colony,” said an official at the Chakiwara police station. “He was known for his association with the ST. The killing, however, appears to be linked with the recent violence in the area.”

Killing in old city area

The owner of a welding shop was killed and his worker wounded in an armed attack in the Ghas Mandi area on Friday.

Police said that armed riders fired multiple shots at the shop killing the 40-year-old owner, Muhammad Nadim.

“The firing also left his employee Allah Yar wounded,” said Napier SHO Inspector Fasih-uz-Zaman. “The motive for the attack is not yet clear, but it was not linked with city violence.”

Businessman found shot dead

The bullet-riddled body of a businessman, Muhammad Altaf Memon, was found in his car in Keamari on Friday.

The Jackson police said that the victim along with his wife and son had gone to a shrine late on Thursday night where he received a phone call.

“He dropped his wife and son there saying that he would come back within 15 minutes. However, he never returned,” said Inspector Sabir Khan, the SHO of the Jackson police station. “Subsequently, the family returned to their home in Garden-East in a rickshaw and in the early morning Altaf’s body was found in his car. He sustained three bullets wounds.”

Initial investigations suggested that he was killed due to some business rivalry, he added.

Bullet-riddled bodies found

The body of an unidentified young man was found near a KESC grid station on Mauripur Road on Friday.

The body was moved to the Edhi morgue for want of identification after medico-legal formalities at the Civil Hospital Karachi.

Another bullet-riddled body was found under the Lasbela bridge on Friday.

An official at the Rizvia police station said that the victim, identified as 25-year-old Muhammad Asif, was hit by a single bullet fired from a very close range.

“He was a resident of Lines Area,” he said. “He left his home to see his friends in Pak Colony. The motive for the killing is not yet clear. However, apparently it was linked with criminal gangs operating in Pak Colony and neighbouring areas.”

Two found shot dead

Two young men were found shot dead in an under-construction college building in Korangi’s Ali Akbar Shah Goth on Friday, police said.

They said that they were identified as 35-year-old Abdul Shakoor and 20-year-old Asif Bengali.

“Both were residents of Bengali Para in Zaman Town and had been missing since Thursday evening. We have reason to believe that they were kidnapped before being tortured and then shot dead. The motive for the killing is not yet clear,” said an official at the Ibrahim Hyderi police station.

Two labourers killed

Two young labourer of a cattle farm were shot dead in Bhains Colony near Khui Goth on Friday.

Although the police termed the incident as an outcome of some enmity, a large number of people staged a protest demonstration against the double murder and said that the ill-fated youths were killed while resisting a robbery bid.

“They were identified as 40-year-old Muhammad Adil and 30-year-old Naseer aka Mithal,” said an official at the Shah Latif police station. “The owner of the farm had a dispute with some people and we have found key clues that suggested that the firing was a result of the same dispute.”

However, a large number of people took to the streets and blocked the main National Highway in protest over the killings.