KARACHI: Amid tall claims of tight security by the police, Karachi remained firmly in the grip of lawlessness as heavy aerial firing marked the arrival of the New Year, and delivered at least half a dozen injured youths to hospitals.
The Sindh home department, under Section 144, had imposed a ban on aerial firing, fireworks and riding bikes without silencers.
Notwithstanding, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition were shot up into the night sky by revelers to mark the beginning of the New Year.
Firing incidents were reported from almost all parts of the city, including Gulberg, Gulshan, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Lyari, Orangi, Korangi, Landhi, Defence, Saddar, North Karachi, Malir, Saudabad, Shah Faisal Colony and Sohrab Goth areas.
According to initial reports, at least half dozen people were reportedly injured from stray bullets in different localities of the city after heavy aerial firing. The injured persons were shifted to different hospitals. Some among wounded men were said to be critical in condition.
The government had also imposed a ban on pillion riding, but it failed to effectively enforce the ban with youngsters violating them at will.
However, the security apparatus did manage to keep Sea View clean of revelers. Police enforced a strict lock down, with roads leading to and from Sea View being punctuated with police-manned pickets. Only residents of DHA were allowed to access the blocked roads.
To further facilitate their plan, authorities had shutdown petrol pumps in the entire city by Tuesday evening.
Sea View is a major attraction for the young and old alike on almost all major festivals and holidays, particularly on New Year's Eve. However, for years on end, the police had been unable to get a firm handle on the law and order situation on New Year’s Eve.
“We deployed 1,500 personnel according to our strategy for Sea View and adjacent areas and finally we were able to stop the youngsters from gathering on Sea View on New Year’s Eve,” Clifton Division SP Muhammad Nadeem triumphantly declared to The Express Tribune. “Besides establishing 12 police reporting centers, we had also established snap checking pickets also on every streets and road of the Clifton Division to avoid the entry of the youths to the Sea View on the occasion and to avoid firing incidents.”
SP Nadeem said that the aim of the police was not create problems for the citizens but to avoid any untoward incident on New Year’s Eve.
Police confirmed arresting one person near Defence Garden for aerial firing. They said that suspect Saqib Zeeshan had been booked, FIR NO .1/2014 u/s 337-H (1).
The routes, including Khayaban-e-Ittehad and Khayaban-e-Shamsheer were later opened by the police.
Meanwhile, police also charged the youngsters with batons on Five Star Chowrangi, who had gathered there to celebrate the New Year.
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Its sad that people in Pakistan cannot even enjoy a new year night...Public has all the right in this world to enjoy the new year eve...not by aerial firing but atleast they should have been allowed to go to Sea View...police is good for nothing..instead of raising their security measures and training standards, they are simply blocking the roads from last many years....thats pathetic