Blood spills over land

At least two people were gunned down and around 14 including three policemen wounded in crossfire across Karachi.


Fawad Shah August 23, 2010

KARACHI: At least two people were gunned down and around 14 including three policemen wounded in crossfire on Monday when law enforcers clashed with activists of a political party, accused of illegally occupying apartments near Sachal police station.

However, the Jeay Sindh Tehreek (JST), a Sindhi nationalist party, claims that the Chapel Sun City apartments are a relief camp occupied by flood survivors.

When the apartments’ occupants resisted the police move to vacate them, the Rangers were called for back-up.

According to police and Rangers sources, the scene turned ugly with an exchange of fire and two people, identified as Qamber Ali Soomro and Ayaz, were killed.

The injured included Abdul Rehman Jatoi, Sanaullah Jatoi, Syed Faryal Shah, Abdul Kareem, Raja Ramzan, Ghulam Jaffer, Sohrab Sarki, Abdul Wahab, Dhani Bux Soomro, Tariq Ali Jatoi, Manzur Wasi and Haji Bux.

Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station SHO Inspector Asif Munawar and two other policemen were also wounded in the clash. The three were taken to a private hospital while the deceased and other injured were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

During the gun battle, the booking office of the apartments and two buses were also torched.

Police detained over 20 men including those who were injured.

Police officials say JST activists have occupied the apartments, posing as flood survivors, and attacked the police party that had arrived there to vacate them.

“I and two other policemen were injured by the land grabbers’ firing,” said Inspector Munawar. “We had received several complaints from the residents of the area as well as the project’s builder about JST activists occupying the apartments and therefore we took the action,” he said.

JST’s stance

JST chief Dr Safdar Sarki said his party had established a relief camp at the apartments and the operation was launched on the behest of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Sindh governor.

“The camp was established in the area after taking different political parties into confidence,” he told The Express Tribune, adding, “It is a conspiracy by the governor and his party against the flood-affected people.”

Sarki said 7,000 affected people were living in the camp and all of them were needy. “It was not as if they were occupying the place.”

“The MQM leadership feels threatened by these camps and they cannot tolerate Sindhis in Karachi,” he said, adding that different strategies were being devised to oust survivors out of the city.

“Police and Rangers attacked the camp. They killed eight people including one child,” he claimed. “The law enforcement agencies also tortured women in the camps.”

“We have announced a shutter down strike in the city on Tuesday,” the JST chief said.

JST office-bearers said 11 flood survivors were injured in the attack and nine others were arrested.

MQM refutes

The MQM refuted the allegations leveled against it by the JST chief.

“The security agencies work under the supervision of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza,” MQM senior leader and Adviser to Sindh CM Ghulam Haider Rahu told The Express Tribune.

Rahu dispelled the impression that the MQM was working against flood survivors. “If people are accommodated in private properties, then authorities have the right to take action against this.”

He said the MQM activists sympathised with the flood survivors and had offered accommodation to their Sindhi brethrens even at their homes.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 24, 2010

An earlier version of this article stated the location of violence as Gulshan town. The exact location was near Sachal station within Gulshan.

Published in The Express Triune, August 24th, 2010.

COMMENTS (3)

Syed Kashif Nawaz | 13 years ago | Reply It was a blatant lie which JST tried to impose at MQM, all the flood victims were welcomed in Karachi. This incident as Police said was a clash between Police party and Land Grabbers, which JST is trying to use as a Political issue!
taimur | 13 years ago | Reply it is not true, Sindhi are our brother and the Sindh is our mother land our home and Karachi is a part of it we always open hand welcome the Sindhi, they can come and enjoy the home.in this difficult time we are with our sindhi brothers
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