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| 14 more killed in Karachi violence Over 1,000 vehicles torched in three days; four fire stations damaged |
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Sunday, December 30, 2007
By Salis bin Perwaiz
KARACHI: Violence continued to grip the city on the third consecutive day on Saturday with 14 more deaths while hundreds were injured in separate incidents and shops, banks, factories and vehicles were torched. Four fire stations were also damaged with the Fire Office facing stiff resistance from miscreants in fighting fires.
In Lyari and Keamari towns, 10 people were killed in firing by miscreants. Later, the Rangers and the police cordoned off the Lyari Town. Till the filing of this report, exchange of fire between the law-enforcement agencies and the miscreants was continuing.
People faced problems in purchasing food as supplies ran short because of the shutdown and those having vehicles faced shortage of fuel due to the continued closure of petrol and CNG stations.
Lyari and Landhi towns were the most badly affected areas in Saturday’s violence.
During the past three days of lawlessness, more than 1,000 vehicles, which include trucks and trailers, more than 20 banks, 15 factories and more than 20 petrol pumps have been burnt. More than 30 people had been killed in violence on Thursday and Friday.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the businesses and offices remained closed due to which the country faced loss of billions of rupees. There was little activity at the Karachi Port.
According to Edhi and hospital sources, 10 people were killed in Lyari and Keamari towns by miscreants. Javed and Mohammed Younus were shot dead by miscreants in Chakiwara police limits, Badaam Shah and Hanif in Agra Taj, Rashid in Mauripur while Babar Khan was killed in Mohammedi Colony Docks police limits. Two dead remained unidentified.
Some miscreants entered Lea Market, robbed and torched two rice godowns and upon resistance, shot and killed Ashraf. An unidentified 10-year-old boy was shot dead by miscreants near Hanafia Mosque, Agra Taj, Lyari. Usman was killed in Awami Colony, while Rehmat was killed near Juna Masjid, Kalri police jurisdiction. The body of Mohammed Rafiq with bullet wounds was found in Bilal Colony police limits. In Orangi Town Sector 5, miscreants torched a petrol station and also opened fire, killing Zafar, 27, and injuring two others.
Four fire stations were damaged by miscreants in Korangi, Landhi, Lyari and the Fire Emergency Centre at the Civic Centre. The miscreants also damaged two fire tenders.
According to Fire Office, the department is facing problems in reaching the fire-affected sites due to attacks on fire tenders by the miscreants. “We need protection from the law-enforcement agencies to reach the affected sites,” an official said.
He said fire brigade could not reach the Lakson Tobacco factory and a CNG filling station in Korangi Industrial area late Friday due to security problems. The official said the fire tenders were sent a couple of times to this site but they returned due to violence in the area. Security protection was available on Saturday morning and fire tenders had reached the two sites and were busy in controlling the fire, he said.
Sepoy Baaz Khan, 33, of the Pakistan Rangers (ASGR-Lyari) was brought with injury on hands to the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC). Hospital sources said the condition of Baaz Khan, a victim of gunshot, was stable.
According to Civil Hospital sources, Kamran, 18, was brought dead along with 14 injured from Lyari. The injured included Mohammad Nadeem Iqbal (13), Said Jamil (25), Waseem Abbas (18), Tahir Ismail (18), Aziz Hasan (25), Junaid (18), Mani Rosh Haroon (45), Murtaza Siddiq (15), Yasin Zahid (20), Ghulam Mohammad (50), Abdul Ghaffar Khalid (35), Zeeshan Shah (23), Nazim (22) and Dawood Hashim (23).
Munir and Murtaza were injured on Tannery Road, Farooq, Younus and Saleh were injured in Agra Taj, in Nayabad area four persons were injured at the Niazi Chowk, while Jaan Daad was shot at and wounded in Machar Colony. There were several others who were injured in separate violent incidents.
The miscreants damaged a bank in Gul Mohammed Lane but the police foiled the robbery bid and arrested some suspects. In another incident, the miscreants tried to rob a bank in Nayabad and were fleeing with the ATM machine but the police and rangers reached the spot and after an encounter arrested some suspects.
In Sheedi Village area, some hotels were torched, at Attah Chowk a travel agency was torched and in Korangi a flour mill was burnt.
In Baldia Town, four trailers were burnt, two of them on the Northern Bypass. Eight shops were set ablaze in Light House area, in Dhabeji a jute mill was set on fire, 13 trailers were torched from Chamra Chowrangi to Bilal Chowrangi in Korangi Industrial Area and also two trucks and two minibuses were burnt. In New Karachi, a towel factory was torched,
The Sindh home minister, giving details of three days of violence in Sindh, said throughout Sindh, 37 police stations were attacked, 131 banks and 31 petrol pumps were set ablaze and government buildings and properties were made target. In Karachi, he said, about 13 banks and vehicles were burnt while 19 people, including two policemen lost their lives and 37 people, including six policemen, were injured.
When contacted Capital City Police Officer Azhar Ali Farooqi said the situation had come under control late on Saturday evening, and during their three-day raids, the Karachi police had arrested 300 anti-social elements and separate cases were lodged against them for rioting, arson, police encounters, attempts at murder, murder, and damaging public and private property.
CCPO Farooqi added that so far about 13 banks were burnt or robbed, 15 factories, 10 petrol pumps, and more than 700 vehicles were torched. However, to control the situation the police were on high alert and maximum patrolling was carried out in the city, mostly in the affected areas, to control the situation.
Captain Fazal of the Pakistan Rangers Sindh said on the directives of DG Sindh Rangers, helpline centres had been established at the Rangers headquarters and its various wings spread across the city with the prime aim to facilitate the citizens.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
