Senior counter-terrorism official, passerby killed in Karachi gun attack — police

In this file photo, taken on February 8, 2024, policemen stand guard during Pakistan’s national elections in Karachi. (AFP/File)

• Deputy Superintendent of Police Ali Raza was posted in investigation cell of Sindh counter-terrorism department
• The officer had been actively involved in operations against drug gangs, Pakistani Taliban and sectarian groups

KARACHI: A senior counter-terrorism official and a passerby were killed in a gun attack in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, police officials said on Sunday.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ali Raza was posted in investigation cell of counter-terrorism department (CTD) of Sindh provincial police.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Asif Ejaz Shaikh said two attackers had opened fire on the police officer in Karimabad area.
“It’s hard to say anything at this time, but all CTD officers have been receiving threats,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police surgeon Dr. Summayia Syed told Arab News that DSP Ali Raza had received multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and head.
“The bullets were removed,” she told Arab News. “The family didn’t allow a complete postmortem.”
A 38-year-old passerby, Waqar, who worked as a guard with a private security company, was also injured in the attack and succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Jinnah Hospital.
“Waqar had sustained serious gunshot injuries to the chest, flank and inguinal region,” Syed added.
DSP Raza had been actively involved in operations against drug gangs based in Karachi’s Lyari area, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and various sectarian groups, according to Raja Umar Khattab, a senior police officer and a longtime colleague of Raza.
“Ali Raza was a brilliant officer with several successful operations against outlawed groups to his credit,” Khattab told Arab News. “Today, the CTD has lost one of its key team members.”
Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial hub, has had a decades-long history of violence, especially against the law enforcers, by militant groups as well as political, drug and other mafias.
In 2013, the then government of three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif had sanctioned a joint operation against militants and violent criminals in the city, which significantly brought down the crime rate in the subsequent years.
However, sporadic incidents of targeted killings are still reported, while street crimes have continued unabated in the city of more than 20 million.