Karachi’s unending woes

The people of Karachi are demanding answers from government, as to what the law enforcement agencies are doing and why is the largest city and financial hub of Pakistan suffering from such unrest. Why have the police,rangers and other intelligence agencies failed to stop this continuity in targeted killings.
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The law and order situation in Karachi has gone totally out of control and government has proved its inability to protect the lives of its citizens.

Violence once again let loose a new wave of killings in the metropolis, as terror-ists took lives of at least 27 people during last 24 hours. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah Wednesday directed the Rangers for strict action against the miscreants.

Earlier this morning, bodies of five people were recovered from a mini-bus on Shabbir Us-mani Road in Block-1 of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. All five people met their deaths by receiving gun-shots. Sources said in the morning a mini bus of route D-7 was hijacked by unknown men from Gulshan-e-Iqbal and killed five people on board after taking the bus to Block-1 of the town. The bus was found from Gulshan-e-Iqbal block 1 near Star Club. It is expected that the five people were shot dead after being abducted. According to SHO Gulshan-e-Iqbal, all the persons were shot dead few hours ago and the dead bodies were shifted to Jinnah Hospital for legal formalities.

Four of the five dead were identified as Mohammad Wali, Ghulam Jan, Ahmed Jan and Niaz Jan Khan. Earlier, an unknown person was shot dead in Khadda market. While only in Qasba Colony 9 people were killed and several were injured. The worst affected flashpoint was Orangi Town, where at least 14 people were killed in firing incidents in different areas yesterday. Tension still prevails in the area with shops and markets closed today. Citizens were still besieged back at their residences.

Police sources said they had arrested from Orangi Town at least 12 culprits involved in target killings in the metropolis. Police and the Rangers increased patrol in the sensitive ar-eas. According to police, the victims whose bodies were found from the bus were kidnapped from different areas and their ages ranged from 25 to 40. The dead bodies were shifted to Jin-nah Hospital.

In another incident, some unknown people shot dead a man in Kharadar. Ijaz Baloch was gunned down while resisting robbery attempt in Lyari Chakiwara. Meanwhile, 38-year-old Rafique was shot dead near Golimar Chowrangi. Two persons were killed in firing by some unidentified people in Graveyard No 7 of Baldia Town. Moreover, five people were killed in firing incidents in different areas including Qasba Colony, Banaras Chowk and Bakra Piri while a man was injured in Qasba Colony during early hours of Wednesday.

• Its time now the government should concentrate and realize the seriousness of the issue and perfrom its duty to protect the lives of the people of Karachi.

Pakistan’s leading human rights organization on Wednesday accused the government of failing to stop political killings after officials said another night of violence left 27 people dead in Karachi. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) says 1,300 killings have been reported in the country’s biggest city this year, 490 of whom were victims of tar-geted killings blamed on political and ethnic tensions. It blamed the government, led by Paki-stan People’s Party (PPP) of President Asif Ali Zardari, over the killings, which underscore deep insecurity in the country’s economic hub.

The political violence has been blamed on loyalists of ex-coalition partners the Mutta-hida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP), which represent different ethnic communities and straddle volatile fault lines. “We have got reports that at least 24 peo-ple have fallen victim to targeted killings since Tuesday evening,” Sharfuddin Memon, an official of the home ministry in the southern province of Sindh, told one foreign news agency. He said the police had arrested 12 men with guns and ammunition for alleged involvement in the killings.

“We saw a bus parked suspiciously along a street and found bodies of five people — all shot dead — inside. Their identities are still unknown,” police official Mohammad Hashim said. MQM and ANP say the dead included their supporters. HRCP said 490 people were victims of killings linked to politics in the first half of the year, compared to 748 people in all of 2010 and 272 in 2009.

Tension grips Orangi Town, Qasba Colony and Kati Pahari where people have been confined to their houses. According to police, three people were killed as a result of firing in Kati Pa-hari and Qasba Colony this morning while 12 others sustained injuries. An injured brought to a private hospital succumbed to his wounds while a dead body with torture wounds was found dumped in L-13 market in Gulshan-e-Hadeed. Three more were killed and one injured when unidentified armed assailants opened fire in Baldia Rasheedabad. Intermittent firing continues in Qasba Colony and Kati Pahari.