News
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sectarian violence claims life of Karachi religious scholar* Maulana Aslam Sheikhupuri’s driver also killed; his two security guards injured in attack
* Tension prevails in parts of city after killing
By Atif Raza
KARACHI: Maulana Aslam Sheikhupuri, a religious scholar, and his driver were gunned down in an act of “sectarian” killing on Sunday. Two guards of Sheikhupuri were also injured in the attack near Rangoonwala Centre in the New Town Police Station area.
The incident took place at 1:05pm near Rangoonwala Hall in Dhoraji area.
DSP Nazeer Hussain Abro said four armed men, riding two motorcycles, intercepted a car carrying Sheikhupuri, his guards – Najamuddin and Wazeer Ali – and driver Safreen and opened fire.
Sheikhupuri was sitting on the front seat, the officer said, adding that the armed men attacked the car from three sides. The attack left the four injured who were moved to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) by police.
Medico-Legal Officer Dr Kaleem said Sheikhupuri and his driver were brought to the hospital dead, adding that condition of the injured guards was critical who were later shifted to the nearest private hospital. The DSP said that an initial investigation had revealed that it was a sectarian killing. He added that the attackers were aware of Sheikhupuri’s routine.
The officer said Sheikhupuri used to deliver lectures at the Al Quranic Courses Centre on the second Sunday of each month, adding, “He was on his way home after attending the centre when unidentified armed men attacked him.”
Police said they had started making sketches of the gunmen with the help of witness accounts.
A score of Sheikhupuri’s students and his followers reached the hospital and shouted slogans against the rival sectarian group.
Tensions also ensued in parts of the city, including Gulshan Maymar, SITE Area and Gurumandir, where armed men restored to aerial shooting. A police official said that at least four people were injured in the shooting and they were admitted to hospital.
Later, the funeral of Sheikhupuri was offered in Masjid-o-Madrassa Tawabeen in Gulshan Maymar. Thousand of Sheikhupuri’s students and religious leaders attended the funeral. They shouted slogans and protested the killing of Sheikhupuri. Heavy contingents of police had been deployed in and around Gulshan Maymar.
In 2010, chief of the Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, Saeed Ahmed Jalalpuri, his son Huzaifa Jalal and his two associates were killed in the same manner as culprits targeted their vehicles from three sides. Similarly in March 2010, Maulana Ghafoor and his son Mawya were also killed in a similar attack in Nazimabad area. No case had been registered against Sheikhupuri’s killing until the filing of this report.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk