KARACHI: Seven alleged militants were shot dead in an ‘encounter’ with police in a Sohrab Goth locality on Wednesday, officials said.

They added that acting on a tip-off about the presence of suspected militants in Machhar Colony, a large contingent of police conducted a raid in the area.

Apart from the district Malir police, 200 commandoes from the Razzakabad police trai­ning centre were also called in for support.

As they started a search operation in the area, the law enforcement officials came under attack by the alleged militants, the officials said.

During the half-an-hour-long exchange of fire, seven alleged militants were killed, Malir SSP Rao Anwar said. During the exchange of gunfire Sohrab Goth SHO Ismail Lashari was slightly wounded as a bullet grazed his leg, the SSP added.

An explosion caused by a ‘tennis ball bomb’ also occurred in which a woman was injured, the officials added.

A Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre official told Dawn that three young passers-by — Zakiullah, 13-year-old Suleman Khan and 20-year-old Yousuf Khan — who had been wounded in the crossfire were brought to the hospital.

The condition of Zakiullah, who sustained injuries in his abdomen, was stated to be critical.

Two of the wounded teenagers said they received bullet wounds in the crossfire when they were standing outside their seminary in the area. Zakiullah was not in a position to speak, the officials said.

The Malir SSP said that the raid was conducted on secret information about the presence of 10 suspected militants, but three of them managed to escape.

The identity of the deceased aged between mid-20s and 60 could not be ascertained immediately.

The police claimed that they belonged to the banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (Wali Rehman group) and were wanted in targeted killings and other criminal cases.

“The deceased men were members of the TTP, and were involved in killing of security personnel in Waziristan,” claimed the SSP.

He added that they were also involved in targeted killings of policemen and others, kidnapping for ransom and extortion activities in Karachi.

Meanwhile, AIG of Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo told Dawn that the raid was carried out over information about arrival of militants from North Waziristan following the military operation there.

He claimed that the deceased belonged to the Mehsud tribe, who were allegedly involved in beheading of military personnel and other criminal activities there.

Explosive material and chemicals that could trigger off fire were also seized during the raid.

The police claimed to have seized two hand grenades, six TT pistols, a rifle and other arms and ammunition from the possession of the deceased.

Sources at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where the seven bodies were taken, said that all the men had been shot dead from a very close range appeared to be from the distance of “four to five feet”. They all sustained five to seven bullet wounds, they added.

One deceased was aged between 55 and 60 years while a jaw of another man who was in his 40s was badly broken due to gunshot wounds. Two men were in mid-20s with French beards, the sources added.

‘Fresh operation’ launched

A meeting of the operational committee of the Karachi operation comprising senior officials of the police and Rangers was held under the chairmanship of Rangers director general Maj Gen Rizwan Akhtar at the Pakistan Rangers Sindh headquarters.

DG Rangers-designated Maj Gen Bilal Akbar, the additional IG of police, sector commanders, the DIG East, the AIG of CID, the director IB and other senior officials attended the meeting.

“The committee reviewed the current spike in targeted killings in the city and devised plans to further accelerate the pace of the operation,” said the spokesperson for the paramilitary force in a brief statement.

The LEAs also coordinated their resources to launch an “effective fresh wave of operation with renewed vigour”.

A source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the meeting expressed satisfaction with the overall progress of the operation.

However, the meeting participants noted the recent upsurge in targeted killings of policemen and murders on sectarian grounds in district Central and district Korangi and it was decided that special focus would be given to the said district during the fresh wave of the operation.

The participants in the meeting also stressed the need for enhancing coordination in wake of recent reshuffling specially in the paramilitary force as almost all Rangers officials who took part in the Karachi operation had been transferred, said the sources.

Both the police and Rangers officials exchanged views about the ‘threat perception’ regarding Muharram and devised a plan in this connection.

In a related development, a law and order meeting was also held in Bilawal House, which was attended by senior police officials.

A source told Dawn that the meeting focussed on “revamping” Special Branch of the police department.

Apart from it, enhancing police personnel capacity and other police issues like provision of funding for purchasing equipment, etc, also came under deliberations.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2014