Karachi: Tension grips city as riots erupt

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Sameer Qureshi

KARACHI: Incidents of vandalism and terror continued on Saturday after the killing of ANP activist Sohail Zahid Khatak on Friday.

According to details, the police and security forces were unable to control the enraged ANP supporters, who engaged in aerial firing, and set fire to two buses at Ghani Chowrangi and in Jackson, Sultanabad, a coach in Shah Faisal Colony, and a minibus in Saeedabad.

The affected areas included Lee Market, North Nazimabad, Shershah, Nazimabad, Jackson, Jauharabad, Orangi Town, Banaras Colony, Qasbah Colony, Sultanabad and the SITE area.

Unidentified activists set fire to a clothes shop in Aligarh Market, Orangi Town, and nine stalls in Gol Market, Nazimabad.

These incidents spread tension throughout the city on Saturday and the fearful citizens were confined to their homes protecting their lives and properties. Fewer vehicles were seen on the roads, and fewer employees, especially working women, turned up at their workplaces. Armed men forced shops to close down at MA Jinnah Road, while shops in the Saddar Electronics Market also received threats to close down, however, the police reached the scene and reopened the shops.

Due to various rumours circulating in the city, the citizens have started stockpiling everyday provisions and necessities.

A large number of police and Rangers personnel have been patrolling the sensitive areas of the city and, as a precaution, obliged the teashops, clothes shops and stalls to close down in those areas. The police have also ordered the shops and businesses in less affected areas to close down by midnight, and cleared the pavements to effectively manage the situation.

CCPO Karachi has ordered all DIGs, SSPs, SPOs and SHOs to frequently patrol their respective areas and arrest any suspicious persons right away, and be prepared to accept responsibility if they failed to maintain law and order in the city.

In different firing incidents in the city, three people including a woman were killed and 25 injured. According to details, citizens were further terrorized in the firing incidents that continued on Saturday.

Armed men opened fire at a bus filled with passengers, who were returning from a wedding, near Banaras Colony, Orangi Town, and killed Rizwana Bibi and injured her daughters, Kehkashan and Mehwish. A passer-by Rifatullah was also killed as a result.

The owner of Bolan Hotel, Zafrullah Khan, was shot dead at his hotel in Hussainabad.

Nazim and Sulaiman were injured near Abdullah College when armed men opened fire at them. Armed men opened fire at a passing car in Banaras and injured three brothers, Saeed Alam, Sardad Alam and Azizur Rehman.

PSF activists, Ishaq and Meerjan, were shot dead in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. More than 25 people, including Aamir, Shehbaz, Gul Muhammad, Muzammil, Mastan Shah, Akbar and Ahmadullah were injured in the areas of Lee Market, Jackson, North Nazimabad, Shershah, Nazimabad, Azizabad and Banaras.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg12_1