Renewed violence in Lyari: Armed clash among banned groups leaves four dead

Residents regret inaction by law enforcers.

KARACHI:

The residents of many localities of Lyari had another sleepless night amid a gun battle between two banned outfits that left four dead, including a programme director of a private television channel.

The deadly clash between armed bands of the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) and Kutchi Rabita Committee (KRC) began around 2am when over one-and-a-half-dozen armed men belonging to the notorious group of slain Rehman Dakait attacked Lyari’s new Kalri area, which is considered a stronghold of KRC. Resorting to indiscriminate firing, they created fear and panic in different localities, including Hingorabad Road, Mandra Mohalla and other adjacent areas.

In retaliation, the Kutchi men also opened fire at them which resulted in the death of two members of the Dakait group, namely Elahi Buksh and Momia Baloch. An employee of a TV channel, Abdul Rahman, who was wounded in the crossfire later died at Civil hospital. Rahman was returning home from work when he was hit by a stray bullet. Later, armed men also barged into the houses in Mandra Mohalla and kidnapped Javed Kutchi whose body was later found from Ali Mohammad Mohalla.

Earlier, a search operation was also carried out in Ali Mohammad Mohalla and Baloch Para to recover Javed Kutchi and other abductees but the law enforcers made no headway. The Rangers also conducted a raid at the hideout of Baba Ladla, one of the gang leaders of Rehman Dakait’s group but no arrest was made.

According to Javed’s family, about a dozen men attacked their house. They said Javed was tortured to death - he was shot at least 26 times.

The bereaved family also staged a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club.

The Kutchi Rabita Committee claimed that 10 to 12 of their people were still missing from different parts of Lyari. It feared that the abducted men would be tortured to death. They demanded the government ensure their safe recovery immediately. “The Rangers and police have never helped us. We have fought with the criminals on our own,” KRC leader Dawood Kutchi said.

However, former president of the banned PAC, Zafar Baloch, while blaming the rival group said it was a planned conspiracy against the PAC and to create a law and order situation in Lyari. The two Baloch who were killed by the Kutchi men were innocent and were not involved in any criminal activity, said Zafar Baloch, adding that one Elahi Bukhsh was a footballer, who was killed after being kidnapped. Clashes between the KRC and PAC gangsters have become a routine every few months.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2011.