KARACHI: Two young cousins were killed in Federal B Area on Monday in a gun attack that also left their common friend critically wounded, police said.

They said 33-year-old Muhammad Zeeshan, 32-year-old Saqib Qamar and 28-year-old Faisal were sitting at a street corner in Block 18 of Federal B Area when they came under heavy firing.

“According to some witnesses, the attackers were in a Hi-roof van and on a motorcycle carrying pistols and AK-47 assault rifles,” said an official at the Samanabad police station. “They fired multiple shots, killing Zeeshan and Saqib and wounding Faisal. Both the dead youngsters were maternal cousins. Zeeshan and Faisal lived in the same block and Saqib was a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar.”

The police denied association of the victims with any political or religious party, but did not rule out the killings as part of ongoing sectarian killings. Zeeshan was father of three and Saqib, who got married a couple of years ago, had no child.

“The families deny any personal enmity of the victims, but we have enough evidence to link the killings with sectarian attacks,” added the official.

“One of the victims, Saqib, was associated with the Deobandi school of thought and we see him as the target of the firing by the attackers which also hit the other two people sitting with him.”

Murder suspect axed to death

A murder suspect recently released from prison on bail was axed to death in the Bin Qasim area. Area police said 32-year-old Hussain Bakhsh Jatoi was axed to death inside his home in Marri Goth in Bin Qasim Town.

“The victim was charged with the murder of a man in the interior of Sindh,” said an official at the Bin Qasim police station. “He was released hardly a month ago on bail after he had been in prison for nearly a year. The investigators believe that his murder is linked to his criminal record. The body was handed over to family after medico-legal formalities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.”

Bus conductor killed

In Ittehad Town, a bus conductor was found dead with a cut wound on the neck. Police said 20-year-old Sher Bahadur had been missing since Sunday evening when he was to return home from work.

“He was a resident of Malir and worked as a bus conductor,” said an official at the Ittehad Town police station. “Today early in the morning his body was found in an open plot close to the Industry Cut bus stop. His legs and hands were tied with pieces of rope. He died from the deep wound as he was attempted to be slaughtered with a sharp-edged metal.”

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2014