Policemen stand guard at a check point on a street in Karachi. — Photo by AFP

KARACHI: A sub-inspector who is said to have played an active role during the Karachi operation of the 1990s and was currently investigating terrorism and sectarian cases was on Thursday gunned down in Orangi Town.

More than 150 policemen who took part in the 1990s ‘Karachi operation’ have been killed one by one over two decades in different parts of the city, according to a list complied by the Sindh police authorities in October 2011 in pursuance of an order of the Supreme Court.

The police said Sub-Inspector Asghar Ali Tarar, 50, posted at the Special Investigation Unit of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), was targeted by two armed men riding a motorcycle in Orangi Town’s Sector 10 within the remit of the Mominabad police station.

The incident occurred near Hyderi Imambargah where the sub-inspector, who was in a private car, was intercepted by the armed riders. They fired multiple shots at him and escaped.

A five-year-old boy, Hamza Adnan, who was passing through the area, was also wounded in the firing.

SI Tarrar suffered seven gunshot wounds in the chest and another in the head.

Both persons were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where the policeman was pronounced dead on arrival and the young boy was admitted for treatment.

Police investigators later found several spent bullet casings of a 9mm pistol at the crime-scene.

DSP Tariq Malick of Orangi Town said that SI Tarar was a resident of Fareed Colony, Orangi Town.

The victim had five children, he added.

During the Karachi operation, Tarar was associated with then inspector Haji Nadeem, who served as an SHO during the 1990s operation and is now a DSP.

Until recently he was working at the Crime Investigation Department of the police.

Currently posted in the SIU, Saddar, SI Tarar was said to be investigating cases of terrorism and sectarian killing that took place in the city.

“He was investigating all kind of cases, including sectarian ones,” said SP Raja Umar Khattab while speaking to Dawn.

“He was a brave officer and had joined SIU in 2007.”

It is worth noting that several targeted killings have been carried out in recent months in the Orangi Town and Paposhnagar areas of district west.

The funeral prayers of the slain officer was offered at the Garden Police Headquarters, which was attended by Sindh police chief Mushtaq Shah, DIGs south and west, CID SSP Aslam Khan and other senior officers of police.