Three killed in Karachi violence

Many vehicles were burnt across Karachi in violent backlash to political worker's killing. PHOTO: Mohammad Azeem
KARACHI: Three people have been killed and 30 injured during the last 24 hours of violence in Karachi.

Two people lost their lives overnight when unidentified men opened fire in Liari Kalri and Liaqat Abad areas. Express News Cameraman Imran Ali who was injured due to fuel tank blast is in critical condition.

Updated from the print edition below.

Target killing: MQM activist gunned down, riots disrupt city life

A worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was gunned down in PIB Colony on Saturday.

In the resulting violence, at least three buses and a motorcycle were torched, while a dozen people were injured. The firing also caused an explosion in the petrol tank of a passenger bus and caused severe injuries to Express News cameraman and a policeman.

The victim, 38-year-old Yawar Abbas, son of Sardar Ali Jafferi advocate, was killed around 1:20 pm.

Witnesses said that Abbas was shot when he was sitting with his friend at a spare parts shop on Marton Road that falls within Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town. The police and ambulances also reached the site soon after the incident and took the victim to a private hospital but he died on the way. Later, his body was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for an autopsy. Abbas was buried at Bagh-e-Hyderi in Mewa Shah Graveyard.

Abbas, the only brother of four sisters, lost his father to target killings around seven years ago. MQM’s Haider Abbas Rizvi told The Express Tribune that the deceased was a former unit incharge of the party and currently associated with MQM Unit 57 as a senior worker. He added that he does not want to give additional comments on the killing and will address all questions at the party’s news conference today (Sunday).

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza ordered law enforcement agencies to take strict action against the elements behind the violence.

“First, we are busy controlling the law and order situation. We will take action later,” said DIG Commandant east zone Shoukat.

Ten minutes after this incident, angry protesters gathered on the road and started pelting passing vehicles with stones. They also torched several vehicles.

A witness recalled that unidentified men first evacuated the bus and then torched it. The worst affected areas were Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town and several parts of Nazimabad.

The law and order situation worsened rapidly and caused severe traffic jams in the city. Sharae Pakistan was blocked for several hours.

In Gulistan-e-Jauhar, unidentified people torched a passenger coach near Jauhar Morr and two people were injured in firing. Various parts of the Nazimabad town were also badly affected during the riots where commercial life was suspended after aerial firing.

A man identified as Naeem was injured in firing near Hyderi shopping centre. Shahzad, son of Ghulam Muhammad, was injured in firing in Shah Faisal Colony while Zafar was injured in firing in Aziz Bhatti.

BDS defuses bomb planted on motorcycle

The Bomb Disposal Squad defused a bomb carrying five kilograms of explosive on a motorcycle in Mawach Goth within the jurisdiction of Saeedabad police station on Saturday.

Police officials said the culprits planted the explosives in the battery socket of the motorcycle (BD-1868). The wires were connected with the ignition and may have exploded if the motorcycle was switched on.

“Someone called me and told about a suspicious motorcycle parked near the Mawach Goth bus stop number 2,” said SHO Jan Mohammad.

FIR No. 19/11 has been registered and further investigation is in progress to probe the matter, the officer said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2011.


============

MQM slams killings of Shia workers
KARACHI: MQM Coordination Committee has criticised the killings of its Shia workers.

This was stated by the Coordination Committee Member Wasay Jalil at a press conference at Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall at the party’s Headquarter on Sunday. He was also accompanied by other members of the coordination committee including Kunwar Khalid Yunus, Gulfaraz Khattak, Ashfaq Mangi and Yousuf Shahwani.

He said there was a deep-seated conspiracy to create sectarian strife in the city by killing Shia MQM workers.

Jalil said MQM chief Altaf Hussain has always worked for promoting religious harmony and it was because of his untiring efforts that the Shia-Sunni strife in the city ended and the two communities started living together peacefully.

When the disgruntled elements could not incite violence in the city on sectarian lines because of efforts of the MQM chief and practical steps taken by MQM, they changed their line of action and started killing MQM workers belonging to the Shia community.

Jalil said it was a deep-rooted conspiracy to disenchant the Shias from MQM and sabotage the efforts of MQM toward promoting religious and sectarian harmony.

“Shia workers of MQM are being targeted relentlessly. The conspiracy started with the brutal murder of MPA Raza Haider who was killed in a mosque where he had gone to attend a funeral,” he added.

“The murder of MQM Gulbahar Sector, Nazimabad Joint Sector In-charge Adil Akhtar Jafri on January 3, 2011 and senior worker of PIB Sector Yawar Abbas on January 8, 2011 is a sequel of the same nefarious conspiracy,” Jalil said. “Soon after this incident Hyderabad Zone Sector-H member Asim Abbas was injured in a firing incident in Hyderabad. He is fighting for his life in a hospital in critical condition,” he added.

Jalil decried that on one hand MQM workers were being targeted in broad daylight in the city, while on the other text messages were being sent on mobile phones to alienate Shias from MQM.

He said it was obvious that a conspiracy was afoot to fan the fire of hate and enmity but he warned that it was the firm resolve of each and every worker of MQM that the efforts of the MQM chief would not go in vain.

Jalil questioned those who hurled accusations of target killings on MQM that if MQM was involved in target killings then why was the party the worst hit by incidents of target killings. He appealed to intellectuals, politicians and religious scholars to raise their voice over the target killings of MQM workers. staff report
http://dailytimes.co...y_10-1-2011_pg12_4


.