Death tally in Karachi violence climbs to +40

PAKISTAN: Ethnic violence stalks Karachi
27 May 2010 14:39:16 GMT
Source: IRIN


Dr. Mirza can only pray to bring halt to Karachi killings
Updated at: 2145 PST, Monday, July 26, 2010 ShareThis story

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza Monday said his role is confined only to pray for bringing halt to the targeted killings in the metropolis.

Speaking with journalists on the occasion of 55th birth day of President Asif Ali Zardari here at Pakistan People’s Party media cell, Dr. Mirza said Rehman Malik came and had the targeted killings stopped.

He said so far no report of any targeted killing in the city has been received.

The Home Minister said for the first time ‘both the groups’ have nominated the accused in registered FIR and one of such accused has been arrested.

He said 30 people belonging to both parties have been detained in Rangers’ action in various parts of the city. They are being investigated, he added.

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KARACHI, 27 May 2010 (IRIN) - A wave of ethnic violence pitching Pashtuns (originally from the northern Khyber-Pakhtoonkh'wa province) against Muhajirs (descendants of people who migrated to Pakistan after Partition in 1947) in Karachi has resulted in at least 34 deaths since 19 May [http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/11-violence-explodes-across-north-karachi-10].

Both groups are linked to political parties, adding a further complication to the violence, which has taken the form of targeted shootings. Karachi has a population of some 15.5 million people, with Muhajirs considered the largest ethnic group at nearly half of Karachi's population, followed by Punjabis and Pashtuns [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72145].

Accusations and counter-accusations are traded between the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), and the Awami National Party, which has its roots in Khyber-Pakhtoonkh'wa, but commands a vote in Karachi too, mainly from ethnic Pashtuns, after each bout of violence.

"Our political parties need to behave with far greater responsibility," I.A. Rehman, the secretary-general of the autonomous Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said.

Pakistan's Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, speaking to the media in Islamabad, blamed the violence on "militants from Swat and the tribal areas who want to destabilize the country".

"We don't know what the truth is, but the violence affects us badly and leaves us afraid," said Jamila Bibi, 40, who lives in a community where Pashtuns and Muhajirs have frequently clashed.

Poverty a factor

But there is also another dimension to the violence. Faisal Edhi, trustee of the humanitarian Edhi Foundation charity, told IRIN that poverty, unemployment and political instability were also behind the violence.

"The jobless youth fall into the hands of criminals who use them for their purposes. Some elements in political parties are also involved in such activities," he said.

Commenting on the ethnic nature of the violence, he said: "A criminal has no religion or ethnicity. To fulfil his nefarious designs, he sometimes appears in the garb of religion and sometimes ethnicity."

Edhi said better economic policies, a reduction in poverty and increase in job opportunities would help to stop such killings and other criminal activities.

The unemployment rate for Pakistan is put at 15.2 percent for 2010 by international organizations compared with 7.40 percent the previous year [http://www.indexmundi.com/pakistan/unemployment_rate.html].

Economists attribute this to low investment levels, due to political instability and militancy.

"There is growing unemployment or under-employment, and with this comes frustration – especially among the young," local analyst Siikander Hameed Lodhi told IRIN. The competition for jobs is especially fierce in urban centres such as Karachi.

According to a March report by the Crisis States Research Centre entitled The Open City: Social Networks and Violence in Karachi [http://www.crisisstates.com/download/wp/wpSeries2/WP70.2.pdf], the conflicts between Muhajirs and Pashtuns or Muhajirs and Sindhis represent economic contests over resources, and these contests are typical within classes that subsist on public resources.

"When people are jobless they can be easily exploited. Both militant groups and other forces have taken advantage of this in the past," Muhammad Karam, a volunteer who works with youth in the Orangi area of Karachi, told IRIN.

He also said that in the settlement, made up of shanty towns where both Pashtuns and Muhajirs live, "Tension means children are not sent to schools and lives are disrupted."

Growing fear

The periodic violence has created a growing sense of fear among the minority Pashtuns, many of whom are involved in the transport industry – the owners or drivers of the colourfully painted buses that ply the roads across Karachi.

"I was born and raised here, but culturally I am a Pukhtoon [Pashtun]. The idea that I could be killed just because of this is terrifying. For the first time in my life I am wondering if this is a safe place to raise my children," said Abdul Jalal, 32.

Similar unease exists on the other side of the divide. "We live in an area where there are many Pashtuns and sometimes we are scared," said Muhammad Imran, 25, a Muhajir.

Karachi's ethnic clashes have brought the paramilitary Rangers on to the streets. But as the experience of the past year has shown, taming the ethnic unrest is no easy matter.

Illegal weapons

The illegal arms in Karachi contribute to the violence, with 16 cases of unlicensed arms possession registered on average each day, according to local media reports [http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/karachi-over-3,700-illegal-arms-cases-registered-in-eight-months-199].

There are believed to be more than 20 million small arms in circulation in the country. [http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=8&ReportId=34290&Country=Yes].

"A programme of de-weaponization is essential to curb violence," I.A. Rehman of HRCP said.

However, in the past such programmes have had little success in Karachi and this adds to the violence creating havoc in the city, say observers.

kh/at/mw

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Updated at: 0530 PST, Friday, May 21, 2010

KARACHI: At least eight more people were killed and 17 injured on day two of the latest bout of politico-ethnic violence in the city on Thursday, taking the death tally to 37. The city remained tense as at least eight vehicles were set ablaze by miscreants in various parts of the metropolis.

Shops in major markets as well as petrol pumps were closed and traffic suspended in Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Qasba, Pirabad, Orangi Town, Korangi Landhi, Liquatabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Jackson.

Armed men resorted to aerial firing in Taimuria, North Nazimabad, Shahre Noorjahan, New Karachi, Khawaja Ajmer Nagri, Gulberg, Liquatabad, Pirabad, Orangi Town, Manghopir, Mominabad, Korangi, Landhi, Saddar, Arambag, Sohrab Goth, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Sachal, Jackson and other parts of the city.

All shops and major markets in the city centre of Saddar, including Zainab Market, Zaib-un-Nisa Street, Burns Road, were also closed. Petrol pumps in District Central, and District West and Saddar areas were also shut. Pushcart vendors were also not to be seen near major streets of the area. Police and Rangers’ personnel were seen patrolling the area and taking up positions in areas of potential conflict to keep an eye on the law and order situation.

Police said that they had arrested more than 100 miscreants from various parts of the city and recovered large numbers of weapons from their possession. The Medico-Legal Officer (MLO), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, conformed that five injured were admitted to his hospital. Sources at the Qatar Hospital said that three of the injured were treated in the hospital and four in Civil Hospital, while JPMC MLO confirmed that four injured were admitted to the hospital.

Later in the night, Obaid, Faisal, Muhammad Fahim, Muhammad Rehan and Shakir sustained bullet wounds in Qasba Colony and were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment. The miscreants torched vehicles in Sachal and Jackson police jurisdictions.

Armed men killed Muhammad Arshad, 25, Ajab Ali, 35, who were shot dead in sniper firing on Abul Hassan Isphahani Road in Sachal police limits. The deceased were lived in Bakhar Goth situated in Gadap Town police area.

Constable Asadullah, 30, was gunned down when armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire at him just opposite NJV School on MA Jinnah Road in Nabi Bukhsh police jurisdiction, while he was returning home from duty.

The deceased was posted in Saddar Town SSPís office and lived in Garden Headquarters. The deceased was killed.Muhammad Khan, 27, was killed and Raheem Khan, Siddque, Aga and Khalid Khan were injured, when armed men opened fire on a local hotel at Baldia Town in Saeedabad police limits, while they were sitting there.

The injured and dead were rushed to Civil Hospital for treatment and post-mortem. Irfan, 30, was shot dead and his boss Mukhtar Ahmed was injured, when armed men barged into a shoe shop situated in Risala police area and opened fire on them and managed to flee after leaving them in pool of blood.

The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital where Irfan breathed his last. Bakhti, alias Mahmood, 25, was gunned down, when unidentified people opened fire in the Bazaar situated in Orangi Town No 5 in Pirabad police jurisdiction, while he was heading home.

Abdul Ghaffar, 32, received bullet wounds in aerial firing in Shah Faisal Colony-5, while he was sitting outside his residence. The victim was rushed to the JPMC where during treatment he breathed his last.

Meanwhile, an unidentified 25-year-old body of a man was found in Sohrab Goth police limits. His body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital for autopsy. The MLO claimed that deceased was hanged to death.

Police surgeon said that one bullet-riddled body was brought to Abbasi Shaheed hospital, one in Civil hospital and one in JPMC. in a late night incident, a tea hotel located in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 12 was fired upon by armed men on a motorcycle. The assailants were however nabbed red-handed by Rangers’ personnel present in the area. They have been taken into custody for interrogation.


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14 more die in Karachi target killings

* Protesters pelt security personnel with stones; police fire in the air, use tear gas

By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: Fourteen more people, including a policeman, were shot and killed in the city in fresh incidents of target killings on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 38 since Tuesday.

Riots, sporadic firing and protests continued across the city that was gripped with panic and fear, especially in Orangi Town, Qasba Colony, Shahrah-e-Noorjahan, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Landhi, Nazimabad, Paposh Nagar, Surjani Town, Banaras, Sohrab Goth, Saddar, Quaidabad, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road and Sultanabad.

Several ANP activists blocked the MT Khan Road in protest. Heavy contingents of law enforcers rushed to the spot, but the protesters pelted them with stones, resulting in the personnel opting for aerial firing and using teargas.

According to reports, armed suspects killed two young men early on Thursday in Abbas Town, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road.

An MQM activist was killed near the Powerhouse Graveyard in Federal B Area. Taimuria police said Sajid Karim was on his way home when armed suspects intercepted, tortured and killed him.

A police constable was also killed in the Risala police precincts. Police said Asadullah was injured when unidentified suspects shot him near Ranchore Line. He was rushed to hospital but he died, the police added.

A bullet-riddled body was found in the Surjani police precincts. Police said unidentified suspects had dumped the body after killing the victim. The body was shifted to the morgue, the police added.

Another unidentified body was found near the Mauripur Road. The Agra Taj police said the body had been shifted to the morgue after autopsy, while they registered an FIR against unidentified culprits.

Moreover, Peerabad SHO Rahim Khan said a man, Bakhti Muhammad, was killed by two men on a motorcycle in Orangi No 5.


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Friday, May 21, 2010



EDITORIAL: Karachi violence revisited

Target killings in Karachi have evoked a strong reaction around the country, particularly from the Pakhtun leadership, who see a conspiracy behind it. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has indicated that targeting of Pakhtuns has made it increasingly difficult for the ANP to remain within the Sindh coalition. At the time of writing these lines, violence in Karachi had claimed at least 25 lives, which is a dangerous indication of things to come. Those killed had different ethnicities and political affiliations. Hardly four months have passed since concerted efforts by the PPP had put to rest a killing spree that had been continuing for several weeks. Even at that time, the PPP’s coalition partner MQM was accused of extorting favourable terms from the government through use of force. With unabated supply of guns feeding all kinds of rivalries from political, ethnic, sectarian to criminal, violence is always simmering beneath the apparently calm surface of the commercial metropolis. However, nothing gave away any early signs of the current spate of killings, which came like a bolt from the blue. However, things start to make sense when we view it in the context of the PPP-MQM core committee’s meeting on Tuesday, which was presided over by President Zardari. The targeted killings continuing since late Tuesday are a sign of political trouble. What is more troublesome is the fact that the MQM is a coalition partner and despite the PPP’s backtracking on the Hyderabad division issue and reassurance that all decisions will be taken in consultation with the MQM, peace in Karachi seems to be pie in the sky. Why would someone orchestrate violence unless it wants to use its power and influence to pressurise the government? Is it because the local bodies elections are to be held this year and this is a precursor to a fight for turf in Karachi? On its part, the MQM is blaming the killings of Pakhtuns on the Hazarawals, who have a grievance against the ANP over the renaming of the NWFP.

It is unfortunate that targeted killings, which brought the city virtually to a halt, could not be prevented despite the government’s awarding special powers to the Rangers in February. That the president took note of the situation speaks of its seriousness. Sindh’s home minister has called upon the police, Rangers and intelligence officials to draw up a strategy in the light of past experience. However, this violence has political overtones and without addressing it politically, it cannot be contained.

Since the emergence of the MQM in 1984, Sindh, particularly Karachi, has not seen sustained peace. There are phases of less violence and more violence, but it is always there, just beneath the surface. Hundreds of people have lost their lives to targeted killings. Apart from inter-factional rivalries of the MQM, there is also the ethnic dimension to the violence, with the Urdu speaking community on the one side and the Pakhtuns, Punjabis and Baloch on the other side. If it is true that the MQM is involved, as the ANP is accusing, a reassessment of the partnership within the coalition may be in order. No political party should be allowed to harass its partner into submission. Given its national aspirations, it is strange that the MQM still believes in its traditional tactics, which are sure to mar its prospects nationally. The PPP’s role in this situation is critical. It should immediately set to work and prevent the violence from spreading further. The consequences of this fratricidal violence can be very serious for Karachi city’s peace and, by inference, for the country. *

Face off over Facebook

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday deemed it fit to ban, until May 31, the popular social networking site called Facebook. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has also blocked video-sharing site Youtube, Wikipedia and Flickr for promoting offensive material. This has come after Facebook failed to remove a page promoting derogatory pictures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), under the title ‘Draw Muhammad Day.’ Protests are raging across the country over this abuse of freedom of expression. The entire fiasco deserves some introspect.

After the vitriolic response to the Danish cartoons published in 2006 where violent protests in Pakistan alone resulted in deaths, injuries, pillaging and a rise in anti-western sentiments, it is shocking to see the insensitivity with which religious provocation is still being ventured. Started as a response to the US ban of an offensive TV programme where the Prophet (PBUH) was depicted in an objectionable manner, the snowball effect that the competition has attained has reached fever pitch. One cannot help but state that it is precisely affronts on highly emotive religious sentiments such as this that push even liberal Muslims into a corner where they feel as though they are up against a plethora of Islam-haters. That is enough to drive some of them — voluntarily — into the hands of the very extremism the west is trying to curb. Everyone must play their part; if Muslims are expected to participate in this war on terror, the west is expected to abide by a responsible approach to freedom of expression. It is actions such as these that shove Muslims into the usual clichés, Faisal Shahzad being just one of them.

Networking sites such as Facebook are wonderful avenues of bringing millions of people and ideas together, but this freedom also demands that authors and servers reflect on what exactly are the limits of free speech and how to practice editorial control when it comes to direct insults and attacks on the religious sentiments of an entire faith.

It must be noted that the PTA simply does not possess the kind of technology required to fully implement this ban, as the net is an amorphous medium where blocking access on one end will be overcome by access at another. A more considered response is needed to this issue, instead of attempting to ban entire websites. Such mediums carry more benefits than harm and should not be banned completely. Instead, the misguided minds stoking this unnecessary fire need to be educated on the harm their unfettered and irresponsible exercise of so-called freedom of expression is likely to cause. *


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Sectarian violence simmers in city, ASWJ activist gunned down

By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: In the ongoing sectarian violence, a local leader of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was gunned down on Friday.

The incidents of sectarian violence have exacerbated with a fresh spate of targeted killings spreading to North Nazimabad after unidentified motorcyclists gunned down Mehmoodul Hassan Siddiqui, a member of the ASWJ, in front of Ghausia Masjid, Bara Maidan.

Siddiqui was a school bag trader and a leader of the ASWJ Central District. His funeral prayers were held at Siddiq-e-Akbar Masjid, Nagan Chowrangi and the body was buried at Paposh Nagar.

Angry ASWJ activists resorted to aerial firing on the occasion, and shops in the nearby areas were closed down as tension gripped the locality.

On the other hand, the leaders of sectarian organisations demanded resignation of the Sindh inspector general police and the Karachi capital city police officer (CCPO).

They said if their sect members and their properties were not provided foolproof security and the culprits responsible for killings not punished, they would take revenge themselves. These statements clearly point towards the failure of the law enforcement agencies in curbing the escalating situation thus far.

Moreover, experts declared the next 48 hours sensitive if authorities fail to curb the growing sectarian violence.

On Thursday night, a member of the Shia community, Ali Raza, was shot dead by unidentified men in Ancholi during the cross-firing between two sectarian groups.

The funeral prayers of the Shia victim Ali Raza were held at Khair-ul Uloom, Block-20, Federal B area, and the burial took place at Wadi-e-Hussain. Angry members of the Shia community set ablaze two buses on the occasion.

Karachi CCPO Waseem Ahmed rebuffed the allegation that the police had failed to curb the menace of sectarian killings, adding if police were not at the spot, the number of causalities could have been higher.

He also said it was because of the efforts of both police and Rangers that the situation was controlled in Ancholi and its surrounding areas.

Rising sectarian rivalry: Despite the request by the police to not hold any rally, both the Shia and Sunni organisations held protest rallies after Friday prayers and criticised the government as well as law enforcers and accused them of supporting the rival group. Both groups claimed that the Sindh governor and chief minister were protecting the rival group and supporting killings of their sect members.

Shia cleric Allama Abbas Komaili, heading the Jaffaria Alliance Pakistan rally at Kharadar, condemned the attacks and said at least nine members of his sect have been killed during the last 15 days.

He was of the opinion that a banned Sunni militant outfit was behind the targeted killings, and the government had failed to provide protection to Shias.

Leaders of the ASWJ also levelled similar allegations against the authorities. ASWJ spokesman Ehsanullah Farooqui said his organisation had lost 17 members this year. Addressing a rally, he said that some people in Ancholi were openly abusing the Sahaba-e-Karaam. The leaders said if the killing of their activists did not stop, they would protest in front of the Governor’s House and announce a future plan of action. Some members of ASWJ have also asked the Sunni people through loudspeakers of mosques to come out on the streets to safeguard and protect the honour of the Sahaba-e-Karaam.

Sunni Tehreek (ST) leader Mobin Qadri said the government should take serious action against the banned outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, which was currently working with a new name of the ASWJ. He said instead of taking action against the SSP, the police had unfairly sealed the office of the ST. A future strategy would be decided in a meeting with the party’s chief, he added.