RAWALPINDI: Two policemen on security at Imambargah Qasr-i-Shabbir in Dhoke Syedan were killed while another policeman and a nearby shopkeeper were injured on Monday after four gunmen opened fire on them.

This was the second attack on the Imambargah which, on November 21, 2012, had witnessed a suicide attack which had resulted in the death of 15 people in addition to 35 injured.

Monday’s attack on the policemen took place at around 11:50am when the three constables guarding the sensitive Imambargah were standing relaxed on the road.

At that time, there were no majalis or programmes taking place.

The police force was busy in protocol duties for Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who had arrived at Benazir Bhutto International Airport from Lahore.

The three constables – Zaheer Abbas, Mohammad Imran and Faheem Abbas – were carrying batons used by the riot police instead of guns to avert any possible terrorist attack.

“The policemen deployed on security duty at the most sensitive Imambargah did not even have the training required to counter terrorists.

“They were also not carrying any guns with them as their supervisory officer, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Fiaz Ahmed, was not with them when the attack occurred,” a senior police official told Dawn.

According to the injured survivors, four unidentified people wearing the traditional mourning black shalwar kameez had arrived at the site on two motorbikes.

They had stopped 20 feet away from the Imambargah and two of the motorists then approached the policemen.

They opened fire killing one of the constables on the spot and injuring two others in addition to a shopkeeper Mohammad Saeed.

The attackers then managed to flee from the scene.

“I was sitting at my shop when I heard the gunshots. I rushed outside to see the injured policemen lying on the road,” Waheed Ahmed, another shopkeeper, told Dawn.

The emergency services Rescue 1122 was also called, but before its staff could reach the Imambargah, the victims were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) by the police and people standing nearby.

Police sources said Constable Zaheer Abbas, one of the injured victims who belonged to Attock, died on the spot while Mohammad Imran, who hailed from Choa Saiden Shah (Chakwal), died upon reaching CMH.

The two policemen killed in the attack were associated with Punjab Constabulary (PC) which had been called to assist the Rawalpindi police on special duty for Ashura security.

Their stay in the city was later extended following the Raja Bazaar incident of November 15, and they were deployed on security duties at Imambargahs.

According to the preliminary postmortem report, both victims sustained four to five gunshots on their chests and 9mm pistols had been used in the attack, police said.

Meanwhile, Constable Faheem Abbas, who had sustained critical wounds, was operated upon in the hospital and is stated to be in stable condition.

Similarly, the injured shopkeeper, Mohammad Saeed, had also sustained a bullet injury but his condition was now stable.

“The attackers, who were bearded and wearing black clothes, had arrived on two motorbikes and were carrying pistols. Two of the attackers remained on their vehicles while those carrying pistols targeted the policemen and later sped off,” City Police Officer (CPO) Akhtar Umar Hayat Laleka told Dawn.

He added that the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed at the Imambargah were not operating at that time due to electricity loadshedding.

Therefore the attackers could not be caught on camera.

The CPO claimed that the attack was part of a wave of sectarian violence which had hit the city and had claimed lives of several policemen.

“Apparently, the police are the target of such attacks,” CPO Laleka said, adding that his first priority was to identify the attackers and then proceed further. In this regard, he said the police were trying to obtain clues.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack on the policemen.

In response to the attack, the chief of Punjab police, Khan Baig, also arrived in the garrison city to attend the funeral prayers of the two deceased.