Banned outfit’s ‘hitman’ held for sectarian killings 

The Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Intelligence Wing arrested a man on Tuesday who was alleged to be involved in sectarian killings and associated with the banned Sipah-e-Mohammad.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Omer Shahid Hamid, chief of the Intelligence Wing, told a media briefing that Syed Zulfiqar Ali Naqvi alias Mohammad was caught in a raid on a place near Nauras Chowrangi in the SITE police remit. 

He said that just as the police closed in on an unspecified number of suspects, they came under fire. Naqvi was captured after a while, but his accomplices managed to escape under the cover of gunfire.

Ongoing investigations into some recent cases of target killings, including those of sectarian nature, were said to have led to the raid. 

A 9mm pistol was said to have been found on Naqvi, who was later questioned at the investigation unit of the department.

During the initial interrogation, Naqvi was found to be associated with the banned Sipah-e-Mohammad. He asaid he also worked for the militant wing of a London- based political party.

The suspect admitted to murdering three activists of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan near Bhayani Heights in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. He along with his associates allegedly murdered Farooq Ahmed near Al-Haj Akhtar Restaurant in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

In 2011 he along with his accomplices targeted Yousuf Balochm, local president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), near Aga Juice in the Gulshan police limits.

He told the interrogators that he had also shot and injured a person, Tehseen Zafar, while the latter was getting into his Mercedes after coming out of a gym in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. 

In 2010 the accused disturbed peace in the city, resorted to firing in different parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and also attacked a hotel. During the same year, Naqvi allegedly attacked a rickshaw in which two persons were injured. He also targeted a watchman behind Disco Bakery. 

SSP Hamid, responding to a query, said that there were three groups of the same target killers’ team still at large who were involved in killings. He said teams had been constituted and soon the suspects would be brought to justice.

On another query, he said that recently the Sindh government had assigned the CTD the task of gathering information on people who were on Fourth Schedule. In this regard, he said, they had expanded their intelligence network and formed two teams -- Anti-Terror Financing Force and another unit which monitored people on Fourth Schedule.

He added that the assignment included ascertaining their residential addresses, passport and CNIC numbers, their bank accounts and transaction details. 

He said his department had consulted the State Bank of Pakistan and sought information about the bank accounts and transaction details of persons who were on the Fourth Schedule list.