Two People’s Amn Committee (PAC) members were killed and three others suffered serious bullet injuries during a search operation, launched by the Pakistan Rangers, in parts of Lyari Town on Saturday night. Two Rangers personnel were also injured when the law enforcers tried to enter the PAC-dominated areas of Cheel Chowk and Ath Chowk in Lyari but unidentified attackers resorted to indiscriminate firing and the Rangers retaliated. In the ensuing exchange of fire, former PAC joint secretary Shariful Haq and Baba Ismail, brother of PAC leader Shahid Rehman, were killed in the cross firing while two Rangers Raza and Shafiq also sustained injuries.
The deceased and the injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
Tension gripped Lyari while shops and businesses were hurriedly closed down amid the heavy exchange of fire between the PAC activists and the law enforcers. Heavy aerial firing was also reported from several parts of the Lyari Town. The Rangers had cordoned off the area of Cheel Chowk and Ath Chowk after the gun battle but later the areas reopened. Lyari Town Police Officer (TPO) Javed Baloch told Pakistan Today that two persons were killed and five others including Rangers personnel were injured during a house-to-house search operation in Cheel Chowk and Ath Chowk localities.However, he said that the police was not informed about the search operation in the area.
During the search operation, the Rangers also arrested 13 suspects, including PAC activists Shahid Rehman, Faiz Muhammad, Dilbar Hussain, Gulzar and Yousuf Masih, and shifted them to an undisclosed location. Some reports suggested that the police had also arrested a wanted Lyari gangster identified as Jugno. Pakistan Rangers have carried out more than a dozen search operations in different parts of the city, including Liaquatabad, Abul Hassan Isphahani Road, Malir, Mehmoodabad and Orangi town, during the past few days.