Toll from Karachi violence climbs to 41

Updated at: 1159 PST, Sunday, October 17, 2010
Toll from Karachi violence climbs to 21 KARACHI: The toll from the fresh spate of violence that erupted in the metropolis city Saturday, one day ahead of by-polls, has mounted to 21 people and 52 others injured while unknown armed men forced shops in different areas to close, Geo News reported Saturday.

Meanwhile, five vehicles including a staff van of a private television channel have been reportedly torched in different areas during the violence-ravaged incidents.

The violence spread in several parts of the city after unidentified attackers opened fire and injured a man named Zafar in PS-94 constituency of Orangi Town where by-election is underway since 8am.

In another firing incident at Katti Pahari area where armed men opened indiscriminate firing on a passenger bus, killing a youth identified as Tausif and injuring two others.

A man identified as Akbar was shot dead and two others sustained injuries when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire at Abul Hasan Ispahani Road.

In yet another firing incident in Garden area 3 men were killed.

In similar such incidents at Kamran Chowrangi, Ayub Goth, Banaras one man each was shot dead while two men were injured in Ranchor Line.

According to hospital sources, more than four dozens men were injured in firing incidents.

Most of the areas are still blanketed with tension while police claimed to have apprehended four miscreants in Orangi Town and they have been moved to unidentified location for investigation.

Hospital and police sources confirmed killing of 21 persons and the number of injured persons.


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The Express Tribune


Sunday, 17 Oct 2010


ONE PERSON KILLED, FOUR INJURED IN BLAST AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN KANDAHAR, AFGHANIS
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28 dead in Karachi violence, polling closes


Rangers and police officers are patrolling the streets of Karachi. PHOTO:ATHAR KHAN A man was shot dead in Korangi in the latest incident of killings bringing the death toll since Friday to 26. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS

Tension prevails in Karachi, as at least 28 people have been killed in latest incidents of violence as of today (Sunday). This comes as ANP has officially announced to boycott the by-polls for the PS-94 Karachi seat. Dozens of others have been injured in the recent spate of shooting.

Two bodies were found from Lee Market and one from Kalry area of Lyari this morning. In Baldia town, five people in a hotel were gunned down when unidentified men opened fire on them. Another young man was also killed in the same locality. Another three people were shot dead in Garden area. A man was killed by firing in Banaras, while six people were killed in different areas of Orangi town and more than 20 were injured.

CCPO Karachi Fayaz Leghari has said three people have been arrested with regard to the violence. Taking note of the recent target killings, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has directed DG Rangers to improve security. He has ordered the rangers to patrol sensitive areas and take action without any discrimination. He has also appealed to political leaders to be patient and cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

Polling comes to an end

Polling has ended for by-elections in PS-94 Karachi, amid tight security arrangements. There was a high turnout for the by-polls despite the prevailing security situation. The seat was left vacant after the murder of MQM MPA Raza Haider.

MQM candidate for PS-94 is Saifuddin Khalid has expressed confidence that he will win the seat. His main opponent ANP’s candidate Pir Riaz Gull has boycotted the polls. Eighty six polling stations have been set up for the by-elections and 22 have been declared sensitive.

Updated from print edition below.

Nine lives lost in firing incidents

On the eve of one of the most tension-filled by-polls in the city’s history, the city was once again in the grip of violence.

At least nine people were shot dead in incidents of targeted killings on Saturday night in different localities of the city.

Motorcycle riders were involved in all of the firing incidents.

Five people, who were sitting outside their homes following a power cut, were shot dead in Rasheedabad in Baldia Town.

SHO Rao Khalid said the victims belonged to the Pakhtun and Hazara communities. He said that policemen were also targeted when they tried to take the corpses to hospital. The deceased were identified as Mohammad Bashir, 40, son of Qasim, Kashif, 17, son of Safdar, Saif, 20, son of Khalil, Akbar, 70, son of Maqmal Khan and Fayyaz, 30, son of Misal Khan.

Separately, two corpses were found in the Ramswami area of Garden East. Officials said four people had been injured in the firing here.

Two more corpses were found from Pak Colony and another man was injured near Dhobi Ghat. The victims were later identified as Rashid and Atif.

Today (Sunday) will see by-elections in PS94 (Orangi Town) – an area hotly contested between the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

EARLIER STORY BELOW

Five men found shot dead

Just a day before an election face-off between the city’s two main political parties, five more people were found shot dead on Saturday.

Two bodies were found within the limits of the Nazimabad police station early Saturday morning. According to the police, the bodies of 28-year-old Shaukat Baloch and 25-year-old Salman Baloch were found at a garbage-dumping site near the inquiry office in Nazimabad No. 2. The police said that the men had been shot dead and their arms and legs had been tied up. The bodies were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities, while a case has yet to be registered against the suspects.

Peoples Peace Committee spokesperson Zafar Baloch said that the victims were supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party and had been abducted from work in Garden. Both men were residents of Lyari.

A 30-year-old man, identified as Irfan Shaikh, was found dead in Korangi Town within the limits of the Zaman Town police station. The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem, and a case has yet to be registered.

SHO Asif Shah said that Shaikh’s bullet-riddled body was found in the bushes near a graveyard in Korangi Town. The victim was a resident of Chanesar Goth near Mahmoodabad and initial investigations suggest that he belonged to a criminal gang, said Shah.

In another incident, a 34-year-old man, identified as Muhammad Saleem, was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in Khamosh Colony, Nazimabad. Two men, identified as Anar Khan and Kabir, were also injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man, identified as Bukht Ali, was killed while 40-year-old truck driver Hazoor Bux was injured when three unidentified men opened fire at a truck on the Northern Bypass near the Afghan Morr, Gadap Town within the limits of the Gulshan-e-Maymar police station. The body and the injured man were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, while the police have registered an FIR against the suspects.

SHO Amanullah Marwat said that the men were on their way back to the city after unloading goats near the Afghan refugee camp when they were attacked. The motive behind the incident is believed to be a personal enmity. The men hailed from Sadiqabad, Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2010.

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FACTBOX-Fresh fears of instability in Pakistan's Karachi
18 Oct 2010 08:07:19 GMT
Source: Reuters
KARACHI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan's dominant political force in Karachi has stepped up pressure on the government to protect its workers after violence again raised fears of instability in the country's commercial capital.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) blamed its rival ethnic Pashtun-based Awami National Party (ANP) for weekend violence which killed at least 33 people and coincided with a by-election to replace an MQM lawmaker murdered in August. [ID:nSGE69H07I]

Following are some facts about the city:

WHO LIVES IN KARACHI?

* Karachi is the capital of Sindh province and has a population of around 18 million.

* Mohajirs, descendants of Urdu-speakers who migrated from India after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, are the biggest community and dominate the city's politics through the MQM party.

* Karachi is also home to the largest concentration of ethnic Pashtuns outside Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. According to some estimates, more than 3.5 million Pashtuns live in the city.

* It is home to the central bank and main stock exchange and is also the country's main industrial base.

* The country's two main ports are in Karachi and most foreign companies investing in Pakistan have offices there.

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

* Karachi has a long history of ethnic, religious and sectarian violence. It was a main target of al Qaeda-linked militants after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States when Pakistan joined the U.S.-led campaign against militancy, and foreigners were attacked in the city several times.

* One of Pakistan's worst bomb attacks was in Karachi in October 2007 during a welcome rally for self-exiled, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. About 140 people were killed. Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi just over two months later.

* Things have been relatively calm over the past two years as militants have focused on cities in the north and across the northwest. But several bombings this year fuelled concerns that militants were expanding their fight to the city.

POLITICS OF KARACHI

* The MQM, which mostly represents Mohajirs, is the dominant political force. In a 2008 general election, it won 17 of 19 National Assembly seats in the city, while the other two went to President Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

* The MQM is also part of a provincial coalition government led by the PPP and is allied with the PPP at the federal level. The PPP dominates in rural areas of Sindh province.

* The MQM has been a strong and vocal critic of the Taliban, and also says that some Pashtuns are involved in crime, such as land grabbing and sheltering militants.

* The ANP is the main Pashtun party in Karachi, and is the MQM's main rival for political posts and spoils. These disputes have turned violent on the streets quite often in recent months. The ANP is a secular party which has been outspoken against the Taliban. The ANP-led government in Pakistan's nortwestern province has launched security operations against the group.

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

* Karachi is a major transit point for military and other supplies to Afghanistan for the U.S.- and NATO-led anti-insurgency effort. Any trouble there can directly affect those supplies as well as affect industrial activity, seriously impacting the country's economy.

According to officials, Karachi contributes 68 percent of the government's total revenue and 25 percent of GDP.

* While stock investors are used to trouble in the northwest, violence in Karachi has a more immediate market impact. (Compiled by the Karachi Newsroom) (For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan)


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Ranger personnel patrolling the Orangi Town area of Karachi on October 17, 2010. PHOTO: ONLINE Hospital workers console a man grieving for a family member who died in a target shooting in Karachi. Photo: REUTERS

KARACHI: Death toll from the latest spate of target killings in Karachi climbed to 41 on Monday.

Police have so far arrested 61 suspects from various parts of the city.

According to Superintendent Police (SP) of Landhi Nasir Aftab three people were gunned down and another wounded by unidentified men while sitting in a carpet shop in the area.

Another man was killed and two others injured, in a shooting incident near Maleer Mandar. Unidentified miscreants also shot dead a handicapped man in Sharafi Goth area of the city.

Later, three bodies were recovered from Kalakot and Kalri, while four people were killed in Keamari and Pirabad. Two people were also gunned down in Qasba colony while another man was killed in Maleer.

Updated from print version (below)

Karachi death toll rises to 37, MQM wins Orangi seat

The death toll in Karachi rose to 37 on Sunday as violence continued for a second day in different parts of the city while the MQM declared victory in the critical Orangi by-elections.

In a related development, President Asif Zardari rejected the resignation of Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat ul Ebad, who had earlier flown in to Islamabad to hand in his papers. Instead, president Zardari asked Governor Ebad to work on the “almost collapsing law and order situation” in the provincial metropolis.

Earlier, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) shook the struggling PPP-led government on Sunday as reports surfaced that the party was contemplating pulling out of the Sindh coalition government in protest against the ongoing spate of targeted killings in Karachi.

A joint session of the MQM’s Central Coordination Committee in London and Karachi discussed all possible options available to the party in view of the latest developments in the city, following which Governor Ishratul Ebad flew to Islamabad to tender his resignation, sources said.

In the meantime, targeted killings continue in the city. As the situation deteriorated, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah ordered the police and Rangers to take immediate action. Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik also issued directives to the law-enforcing agencies to increase deployment in sensitive areas and take action “without discrimination.”

He also talked to the MQM leadership, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, and Sindh government’s top functionaries to calm the situation.

Another development in the day was the massive yet expected win in the Orangi by-elections by MQM candidate Saifuddin Khalid. He bagged 91,397 votes from PS-94 where the turnout was recorded at 69 per cent. Despite ANP’s boycott of the elections, its candidate Riaz Gul secured 292 votes while independent candidate Zeenat Yaseem bagged only 100 votes. Abdul Haq and Masood Alam, who were covering candidates for Khalid, collected 90 and 57 votes, respectively.

Returning Officer Syed Nadeem Hyder told The Express Tribune that no votes were cast in three out of 86 polling stations. The average votes cast in each polling station were between 1,100 and 1,200. He said that a total 92,125 votes were polled, of which 189 were rejected bringing the number of valid votes tally to 91,936. PS-94 had been declared vacant following the assassination of MQM’s senior leader Raza Haider. Khalid outdid his predecessor by 11,763 votes; the slain MQM leader had secured 79,634 votes in the 2008 general election.

Sindh’s provincial election commissioner Sono Khan Baloch told The Express Tribune that elections were generally held in a peaceful atmosphere. Although no untoward incident was witnessed, six persons were arrested near the Fountain English High School in Fareed Colony for creating a law and order situation, he said.

Earlier, the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) withdrew from its observation of the by-election in PS-94 due to what it called “deteriorating security situation in Karachi”. It said the reason why it pulled out was because the security situation “put the life and safety of observers” at risk. Fafen had trained 11 election observers to observe the polling process in the constituency, who were also accredited by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Meanwhile, ANP provincial president Shahi Syed set aside allegations that the party was involved in target killings. He alleged that “it has been a practice of the MQM to get votes at gunpoint.” He claimed that since their demand for holding polls under army supervision was not met, they preferred the boycott to avoid confrontation.

According to a statement released on the MQM’s website late on Sunday, the coordination committee alleged that the government was abetting criminals “as a silent spectator” instead of providing protection to its people. It alleged that the ANP and Peoples Aman Committee were directly involved in the acts of violence.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Fayyaz Laghari said police were investigating how many cases constituted target killings. He said around 20 police personnel have been suspended from different parts of the city, including Orangi Town, Baldia , and Kati Pahari.

(With additional reporting by Salman Siddiqui and Zia Khan)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2010.