KARACHI: Two workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) were shot dead in as many incidents in the city, police said on Friday.

Shafqat, 55, and Abdul Rehman, 27, were targeted in Orangi Town and SITE areas, respectively.

Iqbal Market SHO Adeel Ahmed told Dawn that Shafqat was sitting at his friend’s shop near Rehmat Chowk when armed pillion riders emerged there, fired at him from close range and rode away.

He sustained two bullet wounds on the face and was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), where doctors pronounced him dead.

The area SHO said that the victim was a former policeman and had recently got early retirement after completing 25 years in service.

Police see no political motive; PTI says workers fell prey to targeted killing

His elder brother, Razi, was also a policeman and had taken part in the Karachi operation during the 1990s and was also gunned down in 1994, he said.

Shafqat was also involved in property business, he added.

The SHO said that the victim had also helped police in arresting some suspects and it appeared that one of the suspects got released on bail and targeted him.

“We are looking at the murder from two perspectives — killing of policeman and a property dispute,” he said.

He added that PTI leaders were trying to portray the incident as a “political” murder.

In the second incident, PTI worker Abdul Rehman was gunned down in the remit of the SITE-A police station.

Police said that he was on the way home after closing his mobile phone shop in the Metroville area when armed pillion riders targeted him near Bawani Chali.

He sustained critical bullet wounds and was taken to the ASH, where doctors pronounced him dead.

The police suspected that the murder might be an outcome of some personal enmity.

However, local PTI leader Dawa Khan Sabir told Dawn that both the victims were their party workers and they fell prey to “targeted killings”.

He said that Shafqat was the in-charge of the party’s set-up in Orangi Town and Rehman was a worker in Pathan Colony, SITE.

Separate funeral prayers for the two victims were offered at Rehmat Chowk in Orangi Town and SITE area, respectively.

PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman and others attended their last rites.

Talking to media, the party leaders demanded immediate arrest of the killers. They said that the killings were clearly an act of terrorism.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2019