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11 more killed in ongoing Karachi violence
42 people have been gunned down in various parts of the city in the last 24 hours.
KARACHI: Eleven people were gunned down in various parts of Karachi on Friday, raising the death toll of the recent spate of violence in the last 24 hours to 42.
Most of the killings have been reported in the southern Lyari neighbourhood, a PPP stronghold infested by powerful criminal gangs.
Karachi’s worst-affected areas are impoverished and heavily populated neighbourhoods where most of the criminal gangs are believed to be hiding.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 800 people have been killed in Karachi so far this year, compared with 748 in 2010.
The bodies bore signs of torture and were stuffed in jute gunny bags.
The old Karachi area and adjoining neighbourhoods of Lyari, Manghopir, Shershah, Saeedabad, Maripur and Muhajir Goth remain disturbed.
However, traders vowed to resume business and expressed frustration at the security situation in the city.
President Asif Ali Zardari summoned a high-level meeting at the Presidency today, to discuss the volatile situation in Karachi.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and several members of the Sindh Cabinet will participate in the meeting. Sources say target killing and extortion will be on top of the agenda.
The president will also review security measures planned for Karachi and law and order in Sindh.
The Sindh chief minister will present a briefing on steps taken by the Sindh government against acts of violence in the province.
Updated from print edition (below)
31 dead as fragile peace shatters
The fragility of calm in Karachi has been exposed yet again.
What started off as a back-and-forth between two gangs, albeit with shades of political jostling, built into another day of intense violence, amidst what seemed to be progress towards peace.
By the end of Thursday, at least 31 more people were killed in a blowout of warring that ran against the play of a relative lull in the violence-stricken metropolis – which now finds itself hurtling towards another security-cum-political crisis.
There was chaos at the police surgeon’s office on M A Jinnah Road in Karachi as staff scrambled to absorb a consistently increasing body count.
Police surgeon Hamid Pardhyar said that he has been at work since Wednesday evening because of the escalating killings.
The latest spurt of violence started on Wednesday night, which saw seven people killed, including the gunning down of a former MNA of the Pakistan Peoples Party and a popular social worker Waja Karim Daad in Karachi’s troubled Lyari area.
“Seventeen people had been killed till Wednesday night and since then, 22 more bodies were found in different parts of the city,” said Additional Inspector-General of Sindh Police (IGP) Saud Mirza.
But Mirza sought to dispel the impression that the police had been ineffective in controlling the violence.
(Read: How the police is failing the people of Karachi)
“Raids are being conducted in Lyari, which is not a small thing, and arrests are expected. A target killer was also apprehended earlier in the day,” Mirza claimed.
However, shoddy work on part of inspectors has just made it worse for those at the police surgeon’s office where the body count is being maintained. Reports on the victims are being brought in without completing formalities, they said.
Pardhyar also confirmed the toll. From 7 pm on Wednesday till 9 am on Thursday, he said, 30 people had died, of which 29 were taken to the Civil Hospital and one to Jinnah Hospital.
Brutal
Many bodies that have turned up are dismembered. According to an inspector at Pardhyar’s office, bullets were pumped through the faces of two victims whose bodies he picked up from the Wazir Mansion area. One of them even had holes drilled in. The youngsters were residents of New Karachi and had gone to visit an uncle in Lyari where they were kidnapped on Wednesday evening along with their Suzuki car.
Bodies turning up in gunny bags also contain notes. Three bodies discovered within the remits of the Baghdadi Police Station had messages on a piece of paper that said: “do you want peace or war?” and “is this enough or do you want more?”
(Read: Seeking an end to Karachi’s killings)
According to the surgeon, a young boy Dheraj and an octogenarian Tejpal are also on the list of the dead.
Liaqat, a fire officer, was kidnapped from a fire brigade station in Lyari. Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin Siddiqui said Liaqat’s body was discovered early Thursday morning in a bag. Another fireman, Mohammad Irfan, was kidnapped with Liaqat, but managed to survive despite suffering critical injuries.
“The station houses around 45 people and they’re terrified,” Siddiqui said, adding that they’ve requested authorities for protection. Additional IGP Mirza said the police will try their utmost to protect the firemen but that it was probable that Liaqat and Irfan were targeted for their ethnicities.
DIG South Shaukat Shah said around 13 employees of Dino Company were travelling in a van when they were taken hostage at the ICI Bridge near Mauripur Road on Thursday afternoon. Armed attackers picked one man and let the other 12 free.
Behind the killings
Off the record, police officials admit that the violence is a spill-over and a so-called chain reaction between two warring gangs in Lyari, namely the Arshad Pappu/Ghaffar Zikri versus the Peoples Amn Committee/Baba Ladla group. They also admit they are helpless in controlling the situation as gangsters are allegedly supported by the ruling political party. On Thursday, Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said the killings were a result of kidnapping and killing of five Baloch youth.
(Read: Lyari stunned as 6 funerals emerge from one lane)
But the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Karachi Division general-secretary Saeed Ghani says the party, as a matter of policy, doesn’t support or patronise any criminal group in Lyari or elsewhere in the city. Ghani said he doesn’t believe the messages turning up in gunny bags are directed at the PPP.
However, SSP South Naeem Shaikh refused to speak about the role of Lyari’s infamous gangsters but admitted that the solution lies in Lyari even while many bodies continue to be discovered in other parts of the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2011.
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Reader Comments (49)
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Body bags with notes??!! Wt* is happening????? :(
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We as a nation are “divided” and forgotten our roots and start walking on wrong path of racial radicalism. I pray that Allah showers His mercy on people and we see a peaceful Karachi again else we will lose generations and people will remember Karachi another Bairut, Lebanon.
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crazy depressing
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Yesterday night I watched Karachites on a tv program asking for Martial Law and I fully support it, because the country is not safe in the hands of PoliticiansRecommend
These body bags are an old phenomenon in Khi and it surfaces whenever the security agencies operating from rawalpindi wish to create spectacle of a democratic failure and/or wish to do a operation in karachi.Additionally, there seems to be an effort to create ethnic tensions b/w baloch and muhajirs in this recent spate of violence over the last two days.
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When violence goes on for months, are schools and colleges closed? What do kids do?
This makes me think of the kids in kashmir, who cannot go to schools regularly due to senseless protests, stone pelting, terrorism etc.
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Mind boggling:
Karachi has become a killing field and over 50 persons killed in 2 days BUT:
1) Governor of Sindh is in Islamabad negotiating portfolios for Ministries for MQM
2) Federal Interior Minister is sent to Karachi to look into the problem
3) Sindh Home Minister and Chief Minister are called to Islamabad to discuss Karachi killing
4) Law and order situation and killings are discussed in Islamabad and not in Karachi
5) Sindh Home Minister in press conference states that killers belong to political parties and now action will be taken irrespective of political affiliations
6) Sindh Home Minister dreams about MQM re-joining the Sindh Government but has no dreams about peace in Karachi.
Can someone please explain this ……
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@ Naseer
You are absolutely wrong. Dont blame agencies for the failure of Government, whose only aim is to keep its allies happy and if the citizens of Karachi suffer, so be it. This Government has failed in all spheres of governance and the sooner it packs up the better it would be for the country. Army Rule seems far better than this SHAM DEMOCRACY.
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There will be no remedy from target killing, unless the provincial government ask the federal government to depute army in Karachi.
The provincial government was supposed to call the army when the first phase of target killing took place in Karachi but the provincial government made it a point of ego not to call the army and this is the reason that hundreds of people have been killed in Karachi.
After hundreds of people have been killed, if the provincial government will not call Pakistan Army, then there is a strong possibility that a combined army of various countries or NATO forces may land in Karachi to save the lives of innocent people from being killed.
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What a shame. the pic says everything. And you guys wanted Kashmir. Now the whole pakistan looks like Kashmir.
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Pakistan is supposed to be a leader figure for Muslim nations. It can be a great and powerful nation but tragically its own citizens don’t want that to happen. They want to drag Pakistan to the dark ages. Its the ordinary citizens as well who are to be blamed, we need to rise up and stand against these murderers, radicals, and terrorists. If we don’t try to bring a positive change, we are no better than these murderers.
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Does anyone remember Altaf Hussain saying “Apna aik maheenay ka raashan jama ker lo”…I wonder why he said that
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Martial Law Please!!!
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@ syed – but what will Martial Law accomplish? What are our Armed Forces good at except launching weak campaigns that are far too late in Swat and elsewhere? They generals are too busy enjoying their BMW bullet-proof limos in Islamabad.
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Are you sure this is today’s story? If it is, ET must explain why it thinks the lull in the violence ended on Thursday rather than on Wednesday. By my calculation your headline should have been carried (obviously with a different death toll!!) the previous day. Seems like an attempt to hoodwink the people of Karachi by trying to twist the timeline and rewrite the violence narrative.
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I know I’m speaking from a very convenient position when I say this and while I’d like to think I’d follow my own advice I could never be sure unless it was staring me in the face. The people need to stop looking to the government right now. They’re using the deaths to attempt to make gains over other parties, not by improving themselves but by defaming the other to bring them further below. Take into consideration that without control over Karachi it is not truly under the control and possession of Pakistan in any way but in verbal claims. It belongs to the ones doing the killing now. It amounts to a very dark civil war in terms of a fix. The people living there are not under the rule of Pakistan. You’re living on the killer’s terms. The people need to take it back or leave. That’s the only way it’s going to stop and sadly the only ways to go about it is going to include more death. It’s just a matter of which side the deaths occur on. The other option is to pack up and go because it’s not your home anymore thanks to the stalling and bickering of the previous rule simply trading Karachi to the killers for more camera time.
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true this stubborn country needs Martial Law , which will not come hasnt anyone noticed Mr Kiyani is just toooo quiet these days hmmmmmmmmm his pockets are full my fellow citizens he wont say a word.
& our Mr President only summons meetings & goes abroad .
Our Prime Minister
> *sirf afsoos karta hain thats allllllll *
What a Country ???
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Wake up Pakistanis. This is war between PPP, MQM, ANP and all these parties are in government this is the reason this not controlable and look at the president response by giving higrst award of excellence to our Interior minister who say this is not a war it is killing of boy freind and husbands by there wives and by there girl friends “‘SHAME to our president SHAME to interior minister.
The role of our PM are also very shamefull by saying that its matter of provincial not federal
In MY opinion this government is fail in every aspect only duty of govermnet is to how to grab tile limit of there corruption cases till the end of there goverment The whole energy and machinery of government is on how to disobey the CJ and protect NRO Cases
wake up people of pakistan they have to tension of karachi killing and whats there paln with MQM they are moving in other provinces to spread violence like karachi by way of seat adjustment.
I must say that all parties that are in government are equall responsible for killing in karachi and if we do not rise our self they will kill our children and our loveones in front of us i must says all anchor all critics who support goverment also reponsible of killing in karachiRecommend
what a bs country this is..
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Pervaiz Musharaf was much better
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Martial Law . Martial Law . Martial Law
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@ FAK (it was probable that Liaqat and Irfan were targeted for their ethnicities) ……… (The youngsters were residents of New Karachi and had gone to visit an uncle in Lyari where they were kidnapped on Wednesday evening along with their Suzuki car)…….. they won’t even let an urdu speaking take a breath in lyari ……… have you ever been to lyari…….. people stoping buses pulling people out and checking there NIC’s for there ethnicities….. im constantly getting massages not take my NIC with me going to work. i mean come on.. i can just say GROW up or i can see only one solution to this people will start thinking in the lines of wht bangoli people did…….. when they got a genocide from the same people in the goverment.Recommend
If we see the history of Pakistan, Martial Law tenure always peaceful and progressive for Pakistanis. We don’t deserve democracy. Martial Law is the only and life time solution for us. This is my humble request to Mr, Kyani once you implement Martial Law pls hang all the positions. I mean all of them. Don’t let them escape.
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The coalition of PPPZ,MQM,ANP,ML-C is directly responsible as governments in power.R ightly one person has suggested in one daily to file FIR for murder of thousands in Karachi against,Messer Zardari,Galani,,PM,Rehman Malik,CM,Interior minister Sind,Shuirjeel Memon.
The other should be Choudry Shujjat,Altaf Hussein,Farooq Sattar,Babar Ghori,Hasan Raza,Sabazwari,Waseem,Haider Rizvi of MQM.Wali Khan,Sheedi Syed,ANP etcetc.The list should also include TV anchors,newscastersm,editors,columnists who are slave of MQM fueling fire when it suits MQM and them.Let them be tried and prosecuted to save Pakistan.
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PPP is preparing Karachi for Martial Law. The main reason is MQM is intervening in Commissioner system and PPP don’t want UC system. So they are making it worse so that army takes control of Khi. These politicians are so corrupt that you can’t imagine a good thing from them…Recommend
Either the military establishment is complicit (covertly) in what is happening in Kararchi or they are highly incompetent. There is no third logical explanation of what is going on in Karachi for the past three and half years. There is no way this bloodbath can go on for such a long time without their connivance, period.
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ooh so now you all are talking about Martial Law huh!!
What were you screaming in Musharaf’s period, Democracy right??
Welcome to hell my friends….this is a cherry on top for all those who chanted Go Mushi Go!
These DEMOCRATIC representatives of the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN is what you wanted right?
Enjoy it to the fullest!!!
As everything is sucked up from this land…by your DEMOCRATIC representatives!!
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narayan: every thing runs normal while this is happening schools open, markets open etc.
irony is khi is so big we sitting one side dont know what happening on otherside.
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Dear COAS Kiyani,
Please send the 111 Brigade to Presidency or you are still waiting due to so called “Larger Interest of Pakistan”.
Or Let nuke us All and close the chapter called KARACHI.
Thanks..
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@Dr Ali Huesien: I fully agree with your reflections. This government in my view is the best example of bad governance. It seems they do not care for safety and security of it’s citizens. All they care about is how to remain in power and enjoy the fruits of being in power and make loads of quick money. News about corruption that appears in news media is really depressing and what I find really odd is the government does not even attempt to deny it.
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wake up Gen Zia UL Haq from the grave?
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Democracy is the best revenge.. And I think this so called GOVERNMENT is taking revenge from us….
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I am an Indian muslim but I must say that after looking at the law and order situation in Karachi its getting worst day by day.People are killing people , muslims are killing muslims.I dont know what the politicians are doing. May allah help this country in this mubarak maahe ramzaan
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Because Army will remain neutral and it has no political masters to answer to, they are the last hope to clean up the mess in Karachi. Police, Rangers and their political masters are all involved in this bloody game. Special units of SSG commandos trained in urban warfare must also be deployed. Unusual circumstances warrant unusaul steps. It’s a question of saving our financial juglar vein.Recommend
Where are Mirza and the guy from South Africa? Whats happening to your respective adults this time guys? Care to shed some light
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I lived in karachi during musharaf / mustafa kamal time. Karachi progressed big times. every one was loved, taken care of and felt secured. Things have messed up now, seems to an orphan state :(
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@Junaid, that’s good to know.
I remember about 15 years ago, when Nepal was facing dire political uncertainties and violence, Nepali students would come to India for their studies.
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Soon gunny bags would be in demand. Big business for gunny bags maker.
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@FAK:
Shun your discriminatory attitude mate. Come to Karachi and witness for yourself what is happening. Enough of the rhetoric and baseless allegations from people like you. It is surprising to find that the one’s being victimized and killed ruthlessly are also blamed for the bloodshed. Don’t know where on Earth this dogma happens other than Pakistan and Karachi. Come and pay a visit to Karachi with the blindfolded eyes uncovered; and look for yourself who is being killed in greater numbers. It is the innocent Urdu-speaking who is being targeted once again, and guys like you expect that there be no retaliatory action. 30+ innocent Urdu-speaking/ middle-class people have been abducted and murdered by the Lyari Baloch thugs, and you guys expect us not to even raise our voices against it. Alienating the makers of this country and the most educated class will not serve to eliminate the mentioned class; it will only lead to even more enthusiasts/ Muhajirs becoming ethnic nationalists. So, please, instead of commenting while sitting on a sofa in Lahore, you better come and face the chin- music to know the real situation. Enough of this absurd MQM hatred which is so rampant as to even blame the party for murders of their own members or supporters. Recommend
A simple statistic :
Number of Muslims (including Kashmir) killed violently in WHOLE of India in last 3 months : 18
Number of Muslims killed violently in Pakistan just in last month alone : approx 300
My heart bleeds for many of these innocent young men killed simply because they spoke the wrong language in a wrong part of town !
The people of pakistan need need to ask themselves how a country formed to be a haven for sub-continent’s muslim end up in a state where muslims cannot even travel from one part of their city to another without being killed !
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Compare it with Dawn story, either you or they have twisted facts.
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“Pakistan is supposed to be a leader figure for Muslim nations” .. what a joke..
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can we learn something from our neighbouring country how to protest in non violence way, agreed we have problems – deep problems than others.
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@Hadi Khan: it is ignorant to assume that only Urdu speaking people are real creators of Pakistan. Sindh assembly passed the resolution for Pakistan first. Recommend
Fake Report…The Great “Rehman Malik” has already given a statement that their haven’t been any killings since 2am. As per Rehman Malik, Karachi is peaceful and all u guys can go to sleep peacefully and pray that you don’t wake up again !!
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Call in the military you idiots
People of us only understand the language of cane
Democracy has just given us body bags
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@kala_bacha:
Yes, we have Hindu sub-continental roots.
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Total nonsense! Military needs a strong spine to jump in. No need to wait for orders from the killers and the killer politicians. Among the killers may be foreign spies and infiltratrators feeding the bloodshed. What is the military waiting for?? The country is no longer under the control of the people. When will the military wake up? . . . Forget about waiting for the orders from the corrupt leaders. . . .Military, you need to be loyal to your countrymen, to your nation and its safety.. . otherwise it will be considered treason from all sides!
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@fahad siddiqui:
I am only quoting what or how one person thinks about what you just told about how people are targeted… i.e. he thinks of killing more and threatens everyone…
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