RAWALPINDI: Three persons were shot dead in Sadiqabad area on Friday in what seems to be a case of target killing.

According to preliminary police report, the three victims were going towards Sadiqabad Chowk on foot when two unidentified men, who were following them, shot at them from behind, killing them on the spot.

The victims were identified as Syed Hamza Zafar, who belonged to Haripur, Syed Fiaz Shah of Muslim Town and Syed Ghazi Ali Sherazi, a resident of Banni area.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Akhtar Umar Hayat Laleka told Dawn that he did not believe it to be a case of target killing or a sectarian issue. Those who fired on the three were also on foot and were not riding on motorcycle, he added.

“We cannot call it target killing because the killers ran away into the nearby streets,” the RPO said, adding that it would become clear once investigations were complete.

In November last year, two policemen were killed, including one deployed outside an Imambargah in the same area.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2015

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