1,363 people target killed in Karachi in past 5 years: Rehman Malik

Interior minister says CID has arrested 426 terrorists in past five years in Sindh. 2011 deadliest year for Karachi.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik, giving details about violence in Karachi, told the National Assembly that a total of 1,363 people have lost their lives at the hands of target killers during the past five years.

Giving a breakdown of the figure, Malik said that 104 people had been killed in year 2008, 160 in 2009, 373 in 2010, 478 in 2011 and 248 so far in 2012.

In a written reply submitted to the National Assembly on Friday, Malik said that organised criminal gangs and land grabbers are working in Karachi under the umbrella of political parties, and target killings take place due to ethnic and sectarian differences between these political parties.

The minister assured that the government has taken several steps to control the law and order situation in the country, and the overall security situation in Sindh is comparatively peaceful except certain incidents of factional violence and random killings.

The Counter Terrorism Unit of CID, Sindh, has arrested 426 terrorists in the last five years and as many as 116 smugglers were arrested during 2010-11, Malik added.