A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) was shot dead by unidentified men in Karachi on Sunday.

DSP Ali Raza was killed in the Karimabad neighborhood when two gunmen opened fire as he exited his bullet-proof vehicle near Shakeel Corporation. CTD Deputy Inspector General Asif Ijaz Shaikh confirmed that 11 shell casings from a 9mm pistol were recovered at the scene.

“Unidentified men opened indiscriminate fire on DSP Raza as soon as he came out of his bullet-proof jeep”, a police official said, adding that a private guard was also killed in the attack. The assailants reportedly fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

According to police sources, DSP Raza was shot at close range in the head and waist. He was rushed to Abbasi Saheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead from his injuries.

DIG Shaikh revealed that the two assailants had been tracking DSP Raza’s movements.

Ali Raza was reportedly one of the conspirators behind the 2015 Gurdaspur terrorist attack in India, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, including four security personnel. In the name of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Pakistan not only harbors terrorists but also uses them against India.

A disturbing incident has been reported from Goth Bhatiyani, near Khipro in Sanghar District, Sindh, Pakistan. On July 4, 2024, a ten year old girl named Jamuna, daughter of a local Hindu labourer Channu Kohli, was kidnapped from her home.

According to family, the accused is Gumshad Ali, son of Mohammad Ismail Halepoto, a local Muslim landowner for whom Kohli worked. It is said that Ali entered the victim’s home and abducted her at gunpoint.

Reportedly, following the abduction, Jamuna was taken to Mirpur Goth, where she was forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. The conversion and marriage ceremony were reportedly conducted by a local religious leader about ten days prior to the incident coming to light.

This case has reignited concerns about the safety of religious minorities in the region and the issue of forced conversions. The vulnerability of minority communities in Pakistan, particularly Hindu girls, to abduction, rape and forced conversion is saddening. This incident has once again brought these issues to the forefront, prompting calls for a thorough investigation and stronger protections for minority rights.

A deadly explosion from a remote-controlled device in Mardan, Khyber, has claimed three lives and left seven others injured, including two police officers. The incident occurred on July 5 when an explosive device planted on the Jalala bridge in Takhtbhai was detonated, damaging a police van and a rickshaw.

This attack underscores the ongoing security challenges in the region, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A recent report by Pakistan’s Centre for Research and Security Studies documents 380 deaths and 220 injuries from 240 incidents of terrorist attacks and counter-terror operations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have been identified as the epicenters of violence, accounting for 92% of fatalities and 87% of attacks during this period. Civilians bore the brunt of these attacks, making up 62% of total fatalities.

Pak Army’s use of terror groups as proxies to advance strategic interests, particularly in its rivalry with India and involvement in Afghanistan, has exacerbated internal instability.

This strategy, dating back to the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s, has led to a situation where once-supported mujahideen fighters against the Soviet Union have turned against the Army. The presence of these groups has compromised Pakistan’s sovereignty, especially in tribal and border areas with Afghanistan.