Lyari operation - Day 4: Over 20 gangwar suspects arrested
The suspects include Javed, Shehzad, Shahid, Rizwan, Riaz, Mushtaq Khan, Abdul Aziz, Asif and others. The police claims that some of them even have bounty on their heads.
The overall death toll during the police operation reached 24 on Monday.
Families from the area continued to leave to move to safer locations as tension prevailed in the area.
Very few police personnel were seen present at Cheel Chowk in the morning, while no senior officers were present to lead them. It has been reported that the senior officials will arrive after attending the funeral of a police officer who had been killed earlier.
Markets in the area remain closed and many homes are reported to be without food, water and electricity.
Police had earlier cleared Nawa Lane and taken control of the area. Police had also claimed that the areas of Afshani Gali, Gul Mohammad Lane and Saifi Lane had been taken under control, but residents have refuted the claim and said that only Nawa Lane and some lanes of Cheel Chowk have been taken under control.
Protestors block ICI Bridge
Police resorted to baton-charging and using teargas after protestors blocked ICI Bridge, causing a traffic jam in the area.
The protestors had gathered on the bridge and were demanding that the operation in Lyari be stopped immediately. Police had let the protestors continue their demonstration for a little while and were forced to resort to aerial firing after they refused to leave.
More police personnel were called in control the situation.
Three killed in Sher Shah firing
Motorcyclists attacked two passenger buses in the Sher Shah area, critically injuring five passengers on board, three of whom passed away before reaching the hospital.
Two of the injured are reported to be in critical condition, and one of the injured has been identified as a police official who was on duty at the time of the incident.
In separate incidents, two coaches and a car were torched near Punkha Hotel.
Nine accomplices of Ahmed Ali Magsi arrested
Nine accomplices of a most-wanted criminal of banned Peoples Aman Committee, Ahmed Ali Magsi, were arrested by the police in the Liaquatabad area of Karachi on Monday.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered during the police operation.
SP Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Khurram Waris told the media that a two-hour long operation was carried out at five in the morning in the Ilyas Goth area, and added that two suspects were also injured during an exchange of fire.
According to Waris, the suspects were involved in acts of murder, kidnapping for ransom and extortion, and have also confessed of killing crime branch officer Imran Baloch and his brother Sajjad.
Two Kalashnikov, two hand grenades, six pistols and one repeater was recovered from the suspects, said the police.
COMMENTS (20)
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This operation is being carried out for getting the favor from MQM for the emerging requirement for the election of new PM in the parliament. The problem lies at the heart of karachi. According to the USA peace report as mentioned by Najam Sethi in his program clearly mentioned that MQM has 15,000 armed members can destroy the peace of karachi in short notice and these people has shown their muscles couple of times. I personally read the names of MQM & ANP in the publications of Human Rights watch world wide about the sheer disrespect of human lives. So in this situation if somebody thinks that by doing this kind of operation will solve the law and order problem of karachi, they are severely mistaken.
@Asghar Siddiqui: You are implying that the people who criticized 90's operations against the MQM are now happy that Lyari is being attacked because Lyari is PPP constituency. What about the the gangs in Lyari firing grenades, rocket launchers, and Awans (locally built firearms.) What about 3 out of 4 Armoured Police Vehicles attacked and disabled by these same people. Do you want to cede control to these thugs and lawless bandits because they belong to an area which is PPP's constituency??? Have a modicum of reason and logic in your comment. We have to judge 90's operation and this operation on their own merit. If 90's operations involved lawless thugs and bandits, we must have supported the operation against them then and we must support the Law Enforcement Personnel against these thugs now. It does not matter if they are Baloch, Sindhis, Pashtoons, Muhajirs, or Punjabis. We must speak with one voice and that of Pakistanis. Do not divide yourself on provincial or language basis.
@Shahid: Point being it will always become an ethnic problem until justice is served equally for all. The martyred cop will always be remembered for his bravery against criminals.
NO one know that's what is aim of ppp in lyari we said that they people of lyari always voted ppp and what is getting return Lyri under the siege because of political interest, mass destruction going in lyri people of lyari become prison in their own homes this operation should be stop and its showing ethically killing of one race
@Hanif: "All this killing in Lyari to please the Don who lives in London and controls Karachi by remote"
So all these people who are fighting a team of 1500 police with rocket launchers are saints? I am not Pakistani but I am very saddened by these events. I hope Karachi finds peace soon. But given the level of arms and ammunition in the city the different gangs, the process to peace is not going to be easy.
I fail to understand why people are twisting it into political or ethnic problem. It is Drug/criminal mafia against police.They are throwing hand granades and using rockets against police and some people are calling to stop operation. Is the blood of shaheed police inspector Fawad khan and others going to be wasted ?. Please continue operation untill completed.
this operation should be immediately stop, because its geting effect on the life of peacefull people's, if there is any gange which is invloved in any kind of crime, there is an other to catch them, but the method which is karachi police using is not acceptable in any honorable socity, this operation is also suffering the life of common peoples,s and as well as becoming the mental disturbance of kids, i hope the goverment would take serious decision to stope the operation and gives reliefs to layri common masses, and would catch the culprits using any suitable way.
@zK: People are not creating hue and cry because its "heaven on earth". Its because it is the sole area being targeted. What about areas like Katti Pahari, liaqatabad etc where terrorists from MQM and ANP roam freely. If there is an operation against only once party, race, ethnicity there will always be hue and cry.
Please call rangers and army to finish this operation swiftly and conclusively. It needs to achieve it's target quickly and if the operation cannot be completed this time it would be impossible to do it again.
Stop the lyari operation
People who are creating hue and cry against this operation need to get their head checked !!! If lyari is such a heaven on earth why does the public living over there come out as human shields every time an operation is attempted!!! doesnt that clearly show they are siding with the criminals?
Secondly the police has been unable to take control of the area even after 4 days ..due to the strong resistance they are receiving from these criminal gangs....just look at the type and amount of ammunition and arms they are using ...rocket launchers grenades !!!!! Which person in the sane mind would allow all of this !!!! and YET some blind people go out showing solidarity with these criminals ...shame on them all !!!!
Unfortunately so far there is no break through in this operation. The police are as trigger happy as the people they are trying to eliminate. The scene at the ground sounds like there is heavy exchange of fire but the fact is that 95% of the rounds are 'hawai' firing. This may sound like the 90's operation with what you see and hear from the media but it is clearly not. And about cleaning your own hometown - the people who give shelter are the ones who are mistreated and harrassed by the cops - they have absolutely no motivation to hand the gangsters over.
Every one in Pakistan knows that in Lyari every sort of crimes takes place. Even the Police also knew as what was happening in Lyrai.
All of a sudden the Police officials who have made tons of money from Lyari and gangsters have pointed their guns towards Lyari?
Are these gangsters not paying any more money to the Police?
The gangsters are using People's houses as Shelter & as human shields. so then why are these people protesting hand the gangsters over to the COPS. its all about People Power Clean ur own home town
Wipe out these criminals
The Baloch are being made to suffer because of power politics of the parties in karachi. this operation is a strategy to change the players in power in lyari right now.Only the faces are being changed,the illegal activities will continue as before,only now with new faces.
This is not an operation against crime but an effort to install a new gang into lyari & for that police is being used.Lyari is not being freed from criminals,it's just an attempt to hand over lyari to new gang of arshad pappu.And for that the people of lyari have had to bear a brutal operation.
This operation reminds me of the operations in karachi during the 90's.Surprisingly, the people who routinely criticise that operation are expressing happiness at this operation. It's sad to see the people of lyari being treated this way.They have always voted for the ppp and this is what they are getting in return.They are being sacrificed for the sake of politics.