KARACHI: A suspected gangster was shot dead in an encounter in the Kalakot area of Lyari, triggering protest by the area people who said the deceased was not a criminal but a political worker.

Officials said contingents of the Rangers and police acting on information about the presence of ‘gangsters’ on Mewashah Road conducted a targeted operation near Ghafoor restaurant. In the ensuing encounter, one suspect, identified as Abdullah Baloch alias Cricketer, was killed while his accomplices managed to escape.

The law enforcers said he was an alleged gangster belonging to the Uzair Baloch gang.

However, the area people including relatives of the suspects claimed that he was not a gangster and took to the streets against the killing.

A senior police officer who wished not to be named confirmed to Dawn that the protest took place after Asr in the area and a deputy superintendent of police held talks with them to disperse them peacefully. The officer said the deceased had been associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party and had also contested local bodies polls in Lyari some years back.

Judicial inquiry

Meanwhile, the ruling party has demanded a judicial inquiry into the killing of their senior worker of PS-111 constituency in the ‘encounter’.

Karachi PPP Information Secretary Lateef Mughal told Dawn that Abdullah Baloch aka Abdullah Cricketer was Lyari UC-9 president of the party.

“He was a senior worker of the party and a sportsman as well.” The party information secretary said Abdullah was ‘extra-judicially’ killed by the law enforcers. Karachi chapter president of the PPP Najmi Alam sought a ‘judicial inquiry’ to ascertain the veracity of the claim by the law enforcers.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play