A violent clash between two groups in Karachi’s Machhar Colony on Monday evening resulted in the shooting deaths of three people, police reported. The clash, which police attributed to a land dispute, left the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) alleging that its workers were targeted by “PPP terrorists”.
According to South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza, the clash occurred near the Umer Bin Khattab mosque and stemmed from an enmity between “Bengalis and Pakhtuns” over a property dispute. Raza confirmed that three people were killed and one was injured in the shooting and that the main suspect, Nisar Pathan, and his brother Gulzar had been arrested.
The dispute over the land had been ongoing for five to six years, originally belonging to the Karachi Port Trust. The police ruled out any political motivation behind the shooting and stated that efforts to settle the dispute had previously been made.
The bodies of the victims were taken to Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, and Sindh police chief Riffat Mukhtar Raja took notice of the incident and sought details from the South DIG. Meanwhile, MQM-P Deputy Convener Anis Kaimkhani disputed the police’s claim and alleged that PPP workers had attacked the party’s workers during campaigning for the upcoming general election.