10 gunned down in Karachi as target killings continue

At least ten people including two women and a girl have been gunned down in Pakistan's largest city since Monday in different incidents of target killings and terrorism, officials said yesterday. Early yesterday, a car was ambushed in the posh Defence area, in which a woman and a girl were gunned down. They were the granddaughters of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti who was killed in a military operation during the Pervez Musharraf regime, sparking an insurgency in the Balochistan province. Police said the victims were returning from a wedding when their car was attacked. A franchise of a mobile phone company was also attacked in the North Nazimabad neighbourhood where unknown gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a security guard outside the franchise. After shooting the guard they entered the office and fired indiscriminately killing a woman staffer. Sharfuddin Memon, the security adviser to the provincial government, said the franchise had received calls from extortionists, so it "seemed to be the work of extortionists". Late last night, three men believed to have been workers of a political party, were also killed in a shootout. In yet another incident yesterday, a doctor who was a retired captain of the Pakistan Army, was killed by unknown gunmen. Memon said terrorists and militants were bent on disturbing law and order, as the killings were of diversified kinds. The recent killings seemed to be political, sectarian, criminal and terrorist in nature, he said and added that last year's bloody killings started the same way. "The pattern is the same as the target killing that began in the year 2011. They want to create a law and order situation to serve their nefarious purposes," he said. Memon said the killing was also sensitive in view of the auspicious month of Rabi Al Awwal, when the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is observed. Pakistanis take out huge rallies to commemorate the occasion. In 2005 a huge bomb blast at such a rally killed 57 people. "The killing could unleash tension but we have geared up our intelligence network," Memon said. Meanwhile, paramilitary forces intensified crackdowns on criminals and made at least 28 arrests from different parts of the city. Karachi - Gulf news