Interior Minister Rehman Malik has claimed the presence of Taliban in Karachi where the jinx of target killing is out of control from last three days.
Talking to journalists, the minister presented details of the raids taking place in various areas, adding that the Baldia Town and Katti Pahari areas were the worst hit by violence.
He said that 89 suspects had been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the target killings. He added that out of those arrested, 12 suspects were Urdu-speaking, 19 were Pathan and three were Baloch.
He did not specify the ethnic backgrounds of the remaining suspects but said that the dead included very few politically-affiliated activists.
Rehman Malik said that according to intelligence reports, Taliban were present in Katti Pahari and other areas. He added that in some places where security forces entered to apprehend the criminal elements, children and elderly residents had been used by them as human shields.
He added that the security officials had been given orders to prevent journalists from entering an area where an operation was taking place.