Police officer Shafiq Tanoli killed in Karachi explosion

Published April 24, 2014
Police official Shafiq Tanoli. — Videograb
Police official Shafiq Tanoli. — Videograb
A police officer takes photographs of a bomb attack site in Karachi on April 24, 2014.— Photo by AFP
A police officer takes photographs of a bomb attack site in Karachi on April 24, 2014.— Photo by AFP
Security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014. — Photo by AFP
Security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014. — Photo by AFP
Security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014. — Photo by AFP
Security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014. — Photo by AFP
Security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014.— Photo by AFP
Security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014.— Photo by AFP
A security person collects evidence at the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014. — Photo by AFP
A security person collects evidence at the site of a bomb attack in Karachi on April 24, 2014. — Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Police officer Shafiq Tanoli and three others were killed in an explosion that took place near Karachi's old wholesale vegetable market on Thursday.

Three others were also reported injured in the explosion.

The explosion took place in a shop near Tanoli's residence where the inspector was seated with some of his friends.

“The blast killed police official Shafiq Tanoli and two others,” senior local police official Tanvir Ahmad Tunio told AFP.

He said there were at least five people in the shop at the time of blast, which targeted Tanoli.

Another local police official confirmed the attack and casualties.

Police official Pir Mohammad Shah said the explosion appeared to be a suicide bombing but an investigating was underway.

Shah said Tanoli, who survived several attempts on his life in the past, was targeted for his active campaigning against terrorists.

Tanoli, who had recently been suspended on charges of misconduct, appeared to have been the target of today's attack. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Tanoli has also been targeted several times before.

Shafiq Tanoli joined the police force in the late 1980s. He was also associated with the CID for some time and also had a role in the arrest of Arshad Pappu. Tanoli was also involved in the investigation of the Wali Khan Babar murder case and had previously escaped several attacks on his life.

He was suspended in early April for allegedly conducting an illegal raid on a house at Sea View. An inquiry was pending against Tanoli's conduct who was also named accused in three petitions.

Today’s attack comes nearly two months after some of the most shocking attacks on the city’s police force — one on the man dubbed the city's ''toughest cop,'' Chaudhry Aslam, who was killed in a bombing claimed by the Pakistani Taliban and the other a roadside bomb that killed 13 police officers.

Opinion

Editorial

X post facto
Updated 19 Apr, 2024

X post facto

Our decision-makers should realise the harm they are causing.
Insufficient inquiry
19 Apr, 2024

Insufficient inquiry

UNLESS the state is honest about the mistakes its functionaries have made, we will be doomed to repeat our follies....
Melting glaciers
19 Apr, 2024

Melting glaciers

AFTER several rain-related deaths in KP in recent days, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority has sprung into...
IMF’s projections
Updated 18 Apr, 2024

IMF’s projections

The problems are well-known and the country is aware of what is needed to stabilise the economy; the challenge is follow-through and implementation.
Hepatitis crisis
18 Apr, 2024

Hepatitis crisis

THE sheer scale of the crisis is staggering. A new WHO report flags Pakistan as the country with the highest number...
Never-ending suffering
18 Apr, 2024

Never-ending suffering

OVER the weekend, the world witnessed an intense spectacle when Iran launched its drone-and-missile barrage against...