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Published 03 May, 2008 12:00am

Five killings renew 30-year-old rivalry

GUJRAT, May 2: A three-decade-old enmity claimed five people, including two brothers, in Karim Dad village near the Gujrat University on Friday.

The killings bring the death toll to 20 as a result of the enmity between Shahzad and Master Riaz groups, engaged in bloodbath in the last 30 years. Those killed on Friday were from the Shahzad group.

Zafar, Anwar and Ashraf, of Bhangranwala, Nadir Hussain, of Tanda, and Malik Faisal, of Guliana, went to Karim Dad village on Gujrat University Road, 15 kilometers from Gujrat, to offer condolence to a family friend.

When they were returning from the village in their car, some armed men, allegedly from the Master Riaz group, opened fire at them, leaving all of them dead before fleeing from the killing scene. The bodies were shifted to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. Shahzad group’s chief Shahzad, alias Shazadu, remained a fugitive for years before he was killed in a shootout with the Sargodha police a few years ago. Police sources said Shahzad was involved in the murder of six people from the Riaz group, including three brothers of the master.

Shahzad was the main accused of an assault on former tehsil nazim Ghulam Sarwar Bhooch (late) six years ago. Four people were killed in the attack, however, the Bhooch had survived the attack.

Master Riaz is Bhangranwala union council nazim and belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

The latest strike killed Zafar, the father of Shahzad, and Anwar, the brother of Zafar.

Jallalpur Jattan Sadar police started investigation but no first information report was registered till the filing of the report.

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