KARACHI: Police on Saturday claimed to have killed a suspected terrorist in an “encounter” on the Superhighway. He with other accomplices had carried out a gun-and-grenade attack on a patrolling police party.

The police officials were patrolling near the Chakra Hotel on the Superhighway (now M-9) when four suspects riding two motorcycles hurled a grenade and resorted to firing on the mobile.

The policemen remained unhurt in the incident while the mobile was partially damaged.

The police returned fire. In the ensuing shoot-out, one suspect was killed while his three accomplices escaped. The police seized a 9mm pistol from his custody.

Suspected hitman ‘involved in May 12 incidents’ held

A bomb disposal squad team was called to sweep the area.

Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur said the dead suspect had not been identified. He said the suspects were “terrorists” as they carried out the grenade attack on the police mobile.

MQM man ‘involved in 12 May incidents’ held

Steel Town police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a suspect allegedly involved in violence during the May 12, 2007 mayhem.

“The held suspect is a hitman linked with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London,” said SSP Irfan Bahadur.

The police carried out an intelligence-based action and arrested the suspect, Mohsin Saleem, alias Mohsin Chhotoo, in Gulshan-i-Hadeed with arms and ammunition.

During initial probe, the suspect “confessed” to the targeted killing of 18 people with other accomplices.

He also revealed that he gunned down four persons in the area from Malir Halt to Airport on May 12, 2017. Those killings were carried out under direction of the MQM-London leadership. He also “admitted” to arson attacks during the May 12 incidents.

The police have registered a case against him on terrorism and murder charges while the seized weapons were being sent to the forensic lab to ascertain if they were used in previous shootings.

The Malir SSP said that the police had initiated legal proceedings pertaining to the registration of cases regarding the May 12 mayhem at the Airport police station.

A major portion of Sharea Faisal was turned into a battlefield soon after the arrival of the then chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry, who remained stranded at the airport because of the violence and flew back to Islamabad without addressing the lawyers’ gathering at the Sindh High Court as was planned.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2019