The desperate move was announced by Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh, the additional inspector general for Crime Investigation Branch of the Sindh Police, at a news conference in Karachi on Sunday.
Police has been empowered to shoot-on-sight anyone trying to extort money from traders, damaging public or private property, and kidnapping someone for ransom.
AIG Sheikh believed that the drastic step would help check the spiral of deadly violence in the volatile city. He also hinted that traders could also shoot anyone trying to extort money from them in self-defence.
Meanwhile, over a dozen people, including political activists, were killed in different neighbourhoods of the city during the last 24 hours in unabated violence.
Awami National Party’s worker Liaquat Bangash, alias Liaquat Tension, was killed in an encounter with law enforcers in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Police and paramilitary Rangers, however, were found passing the buck. Police said that the paramilitary force was leading the raid in which Bangash was killed – but Rangers said they were not present at the site of encounter.
Separately, two bodies – identified as that of Asif Patni and Ayub, both in their early thirties – were found in the densely-populated Lyari neighbourhood.
Bodies of three unidentified men were found near Superhighway, while two more bodies were found dumped in Ayub Goth.
Four people, including an MQM activist, were gunned down in Kharadar, Orangi Town and Surjani areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2012.
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