Five killed as gunmen open fire at majlis in Karachi

KARACHI: At least five people, four of a family, were killed on Saturday when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Majlis taking place at a house in the Nazimabad No.4 area of the city, police said.

Police and eyewitnesses said unidentified gunmen riding two motorcycles opened indiscriminate firing at the majlis taking place at the residence of a man identified as Dr Asad.

"Two attackers on a motorbike opened indiscriminate fire on the participants coming for the gathering," senior police official Tayyab Muqaddas Haider said.

The attackers fled the scene after the assault, he added.

"The men came on motorcycles around 6PM. We had set up a tent as seating arrangements for men while the women were inside for the majlis. One of the men came inside the tent and opened indiscriminate fire," one of the eyewitnesses told Geo News.

"I ran outside and locked the gate to prevent him from coming inside. God forbid, if he had managed to come inside, a major tragedy could have taken place," he said.

Mohammad Ali Abbasi, an official at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, said four men died on the spot. An injured woman brought to the hospital succumbed to her wounds. 

At least one more injured was in serious condition and was being treated under intensive care, the hospital official said.

According to initial police investigation, 9mm pistols were used and the attackers had conducted reconnaissance of the area.

Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, Inspector-General Sindh AD Khawaja information so far gathered suggested the firing took place outside the house where preparations for the majlis were underway.

"Attackers on two motorcycles came and opened fire. Police had no information of the majlis or function," he said, speaking to reporters in Hyderabad.