KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Friday accused Rangers of “extra-judicially” killing four party workers Thursday night near the Northern Bypass in Karachi's Sohrab Goth area.

The paramilitary force had Thursday night claimed to have killed four suspects in an ‘encounter’ on Northern Bypass near Sohrab Goth.

“They were arrested by Rangers a month ago,” Farooq Sattar said, adding that family members of the deceased had identified them as Mohammd Adeel, Kashif Khalil, Shahid Ghulam and Zohaib Ullah.

Sattar said his party had given a list of 150 “disappeared” workers to the prime minister, his cabinet members, Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah and the DG Rangers.

“But no action has so far been taken on our demand and at least four of those 150 workers have been extra judicially killed,” alleged Sattar.

But the paramilitary force, which has been in charge of the security operation in the city since 2013, in a press release on Friday said MQM's allegations were “baseless propaganda.”

Rangers identify alleged target killers as MQM workers

Rangers reacted to the allegations levelled by MQM and released the identities of alleged terrorists killed on Thursday, saying that all four were members of MQM.

They were identified as Zohaib alias Bholo, Kashif Khalil alias Mechanic, Shahid alias Chitta and Mohammad Aqeel.

The spokesperson for the paramilitary force claimed that the alleged target killers were involved in the killing of lawyer Husnain Bukhari and several police officials.

The Rangers press release said action had been initiated in the area on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of suspects allegedly involved in the killing of one advocate Hasnain Bukhari – a senior lawyer from the minority Shia sect and a counsel for several MQM activists, who was killed on March 4, 2015, in Korangi.

On seeing the Rangers, the suspects started shooting at security forces, after which Rangers personnel retaliated. During the exchange of fire, four suspects were killed while a Rangers official was wounded, said the force's spokesman.

The Rangers spokesman claimed that all the four men killed on Thursday had been hiding in “safe houses” at MQM's behest and labelled the party's allegations an attempt to mislead everyone.

The paramilitary force further added that the security operation in Karachi would continue “till the elimination of the last target killer, facilitator, sympathiser and financier.”

Farooq Sattar said MQM will observe a day of mourning on Saturday, September 12, to protest the alleged extrajudicial killings of its party workers.

He requested traders and transporters to support their protest by shutting down their businesses tomorrow.

The party leader further said a protest rally will be staged from Liaquatabad to Mazar-e-Quaid.