KARACHI, June 1: Half a dozen people were shot dead in different parts of the city on Friday when another victim of the Thursday night attack died during treatment in a hospital, police said.

Of the six people, three were killed in Surjani Town in a gun attack that also left a few others wounded while two associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were gunned down in Federal B Area and Kharadar.

Five men riding two motorcycles were on their way to Sakran, Balochistan, when they came under a gun attack near Khuda Ki Basti, said an official at the Surjani police station.

He added that three of them were killed and the other two wounded, while an 11-year-old passer-by also sustained a gunshot wound in the attack.

Two of the dead were later identified as Ghulam Qadir, 43, son of Akbar Baloch, and Mehboob, 38, son of Auliya, said Surjani SHO Shabbir Hussain. The passer-by was identified as Tayyab Khan, son of Aryan Khan.

The officer said the attackers used 9mm- and 30-bore pistols, and a sub-machine gun.

The dead and the injured were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, the police said. They quoted doctors as saying that the condition of the victims was critical.

It seemed that the Baloch were the actual target, the police investigators said, adding that the incident could also be linked to a gang warfare in Lyari. However, sources in the police said, there was a possibility that the incident was linked to the Nazimabad incident where three men from Hasan Auliya Village were killed on their way home late Thursday night.

No case was lodged at the Surjani police station till Friday night.

Only a few hours earlier, another victim of the Thursday night attack had died in a hospital, officials said.

They added that Abdul Shakoor, son of Abdul Ghani, died during treatment in a private hospital, where he had been shifted from the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The victim and his three friends had come under a gun attack near Annu Bhai Park late Thursday night. Two of them, Haji Javed and Mohammad Rafiq, had died on the spot, while Shakoor and Azam had sustained gunshot wounds.

DSP Shahid Abbas said that all the four victims were residents of Hassan Aulia Village.

Two MQM activists killed

A department store owner, Waqas Akbar, 27, was changing engine oil of his car in front of his house near Anarkali Market in Block 16 of Federal B Area when gunmen riding motorbike pulled up there, fired two shots at him and sped away, said an official at the Yousuf Plaza police station.

He said the victim sustained two bullet wounds to his head and died on the spot. Hearing the gunfire, people rushed to the crime-scene only to find Waqas lying in a pool of blood.

The body was later shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities. The police then handed over the body to the victim’s family.

He was a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s FB Area Sector Unit-147, the police investigators said, adding that Waqas ran a pick-and-drop service besides his shop.

Yousuf Plaza SHO Ali Hassan said he had married four months ago and was the only breadwinner in his family.

Following the killing, tension gripped Yousuf Plaza, Water Pump and surrounding areas as traders closed all shops in major markets.

The victim was buried in a Korangi graveyard after his funeral at Ghufran mosque in FB Area.

No case was lodged at the Yousuf Plaza police station till Friday evening.

The other MQM activist was killed near Paper Market in Kharadar, police said.

Shahnawaz, 23, a resident of Abal Chowk, was having launch at a roadside food stall in the area when gunmen riding a motorbike opened a volley of bullets on him before speeding away, said an official at the Kharadar police station.

He added that the young man sustained five gunshot wounds and died on the spot. The body was moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

A police investigator, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Akbar, said that the victim was an MQM worker and his mother, Rukhsana, was a senior party worker.

The police said they believed the victim was targeted on political grounds. They said the victim used to run a catering service in the area and also deliver lunch boxes to offices.

As the news of the killing spread, all shops in Kharadar, Boultan Market and its surrounding area were closed.

Rickshaw driver found shot dead

A rickshaw driver, who had been missing for the past couple of days, was found shot dead on the outskirts of the city, police said.

They added that Faisal, 26, with his rickshaw had gone missing a couple of days ago. His body was spotted in the Rehri Goth area within the remit of the Sukkan police station, the officials said, adding that the rickshaw was later found 800 metres from the body.

Sukkan SHO Sarfaraz Kakazai said the victim had been shot twice. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities and later handed over to the victim’s family.

According to doctors, the victim had sustained two gunshot wounds to his head.

The police said the victim was a resident of Korangi Crossing. They quoted the victim’s family as saying that Faisal was not associated with any political party.

No case was lodged at the Sukkan police station till Friday evening.

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