Shocked and shut down

Target killings in Karachi lead to shutting down of commercial activity for a day of mourning.

KARACHI: In the wake a horrific attack on Shershah market and other drive-by shootings that have left scores of people dead in four days, the country’s commercial hub shut down on Wednesday for a day of mourning. At least 11 more people lost their lives, taking the toll to 85.

All the major markets remained closed while public transport was off the roads as the transporters and traders had announced to observe the day of mourning. The trading at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), however, continued normally.

Educational institutes remained open but all exams being held in the University of Karachi, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology and Dow University of Health Sciences have been suspended.

The police also reported sporadic aerial firing in the city.

The killings began on Saturday, ahead of the PS-94 by-election in Orangi Town to replace Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Raza Haider who was killed in August. On Tuesday, 12 people were killed in indiscriminate firing by motorcyclists outside the oldest scrap market in Shershah.

“It seems that there is no government in Karachi,” Altaf Hussain, the MQM chief, said in a statement from London. “The government has failed to protect the lives and properties of the people of Karachi.”

The violence has led to calls from different politicians for the army to enter Karachi to help stem the violence, which has seen hundreds of people killed this year alone.

“It is right now difficult to name any groups over involvement in the killings but I can say one thing -- this is a conspiracy to destabilise Karachi,” said CCPO Karachi Fayyaz Leghari. “[The] police have arrested several suspects and they are being interrogated,” he said without disclosing any numbers.

Funeral

The collective funeral prayers of seven out of 12 victims of the Shershah attack were offered on Wednesday in Liaquatabad.

During the funeral ceremony, enraged people pelted vehicles with stones.

Meanwhile, the route going to Governor House via Saddar was closed for all traffic for security reasons.

Karachi has long been plagued by ethnic and sectarian violence. The recent violence has killed supporters of coalition partners MQM and the Awami National Party (ANP). Both parties blame each other for the violence, fanning political tensions within Karachi that reverberate to the capital, where both factions are also members of the ruling federal coalition.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2010.