'Dala culture' rules city roads

Plate-less SUV, armed guard and road-rage clash put the spotlight back on unchecked gun culture

KARACHI:

For a city long familiar with the swagger of black double-cab pickups, tinted windows and openly displayed weapons, another road-rage incident has once again brought Karachi's enduring "dala culture" into the spotlight - this time after a driver alleged that a plate-less Revo, accompanied by an armed security guard, blocked his car, assaulted him and opened fire during a confrontation near Shahrah-e-Bhutto.

The incident has triggered questions over the public display and alleged use of firearms after videos of the incident went viral on social media. An online taxi driver, identified as Hamid Sultan, was travelling from the Baloch Colony Expressway towards Shahrah-e-Bhutto with a female passenger when the double cabin allegedly approached him at high speed.

According to a complaint submitted by the driver to the Korangi Industrial Area police, two men in the vehicle were following him closely, prompting him to move his car aside. The vehicle allegedly overtook him, stopped in front of his car and its occupant began abusing and verbally harassing him.

The driver said that when he stepped out of his vehicle, a security guard accompanying the man also allegedly abused him and issued threats. He said he called police emergency services during the confrontation.

The complainant further alleged that the security guard struck his hand with a firearm, causing an injury, and later opened fire at him. He claimed he narrowly escaped injury as the men fled the scene while firing.

The confrontation was recorded by the female passenger on her mobile phone as well as by a camera installed in the taxi. The driver subsequently handed the footage to police, while a video statement recorded by the complainant has also emerged.

The incident has drawn attention to the alleged movement of a vehicle without a number plate and the open display of firearms by the security guard during the confrontation.

Korangi Industrial Area police confirmed that they had received the driver's written complaint and video evidence and had begun investigating the incident. Police are examining the available footage and other evidence to establish the circumstances of the confrontation and identify those involved.