KARACHI, July 8: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement's provincial assembly members have condemned the killing of two citizens in a an alleged police 'encounter' in Samanabad. Demanding a high-level enquiry into the incident , they also called for strict action against the police personnel responsible for the killings.

Recalling the incident in a joint statement, the MPAs said that on Wednesday, the police had stopped two cousins Muhammad Anwar and Muhammad Akhtar, and during their body search the police took out money from their pockets, which resulted in a quarrel between the two cousins and the police personnel.

Seeing area people gathering around them, the police took the two youths away in a taxi, and after covering some distance, both of them were taken out of the taxi and were fired at by the police, resulting in their instant death, the MPAs claimed, adding that later on the police also fired upon the taxi to make the incident look like a real encounter.

The MPAs further alleged that the deaths of the citizens in a 'fake encounter' had made it clear that 'black sheep' in the police force wanted to instil fear in the hearts of citizens by killing innocent people in fake encounters.

Terming it a conspiracy to bring a bad name to the government, they said that there was severe resentment among the people of Karachi against the police. The MQM MPAs, expressing sympathy for the bereaved families, said that the Muttahida was aware of their agony, as in the past hundreds of MQM workers had been killed in such fake encounters.

The MPAs also appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, to do justice with the bereaved families by ordering a probe into the killings and initiate action against the police personnel involved.