Karachi: 23 people killed in riots

[Naveed Yaseen]

Violence erupts after 2 MQM workers slain: All hell breaks loose in city as 23 die in riots
By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: At least 23 people, including political workers, were killed and several others wounded on Wednesday, as violence erupted in the city after two MQM workers were allegedly killed by some Pakhtoon members of the land mafia in North Karachi.

The city witnessed bloodshed as riots, clashes and target killings ensued; the violence began in the afternoon in North Karachi, quickly spread across the city and continued till the night. Miscreants set ablaze over one-and-a-half dozen vehicles, including passenger buses, coaches, loading trucks and dumpers, while several shops were also set on fire.

Despite the joint flag march held on the directives of Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza by the Rangers and the police on Wednesday, the law enforcers failed to control the situation. Around 25 Pakhtoon miscreants were detained after a two-hour long door-to-door operation was conducted in the mountainous area of Zareena Colony, North Karachi, within the limits of Khawaja Ajmair Nagri police station, while 14 more were detained in other areas. The law enforcers claimed to have recovered a huge cache of weapons from the possession of the detained miscreants. The violence started from the said area when bodies of two MQM workers, Khalid and Mehmood, were discovered. The affected areas included Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Orangi Town, Banaras, Pahar Ganj, Sharah-e-Noor Jehan, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Hyderi, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Sohrab Goth, Federal ‘B’ Area, Drigh Road, Sarjani Town, Gadap Town and Abul Hassan Ispahani Road. In these areas, miscreants restored to firing, killed several people, rioted and clashed with each other. They even openly targeted passenger buses. In some of the areas, bodies of those people who were killed after being kidnapped were found.

Dr Seemin Jamali, emergency department director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), told Daily Times that eight bodies and nine injured were brought to the hospital, while three persons died in the casualty ward. The bodies brought to JPMC were identified as Dost Ali, Jalil, Javed, Zahoor Shah, Deen Mohammad, an activist of MQM, and Sanobar Khan. She further said that she is not sure how many bodies were shifted to JPMC from the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), adding that the body of Deen Mohammad was referred to ASH from JPMC.

Witnesses told Daily Times that a burial procession of an area resident was passing by when aerial firing was heard from the hills of Pahar Ganj. MQM workers Khalid and Mehmood rushed to the hill to monitor the firing and, as a result, they sustained bullet wounds and died on the spot. The witnesses added that the firing was so intense that they were unable to recover the bodies of the deceased activists and they were recovered after almost two hours.

Following the incident, firing from both sides started and two pedestrians were shot dead near the same place where the first incident took place. Thus, a series of firing incidents erupted in various areas, especially North Karachi, New Karachi, Banaras, Sohrab Goth, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, Safura Goth, Quaidabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Shah Faisal Colony and Sarjani Town, where intense firing continued between the rival groups.

Sources in ASH told Daily Times that a total of 14 bodies were brought to hospital, out of which, four were shifted to the JPMC. Some of the bodies taken to ASH were identified as Mehmood Khalil, Mohammad Shahid, Ibrahim, Sanwal, Jamil Siddiq and Sarfaraz.

Sources in the Civil Hospital, Karachi said that a passerby, Mohammad Hanif, who was gunned down in Teen Hatti, within the limits of Jamshed Town police station, was brought to the hospital. Moreover, another man was killed when unidentified men fired at a passenger bus in Korangi at night, before setting two buses on fire.

Three more bodies were brought to various hospitals late at night.

Meanwhile, ANP Media Coordinator Qadir Khan told Daily Times that 12 of the people slain in the violence in city were their party activists.