Another six people were gunned down in Karachi on Sunday as the MQM accused the Sindh government of deliberately disconnecting all telephone connections of party headquarters Nine Zero and alleged that Sindh Senior Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza had planned an attack on Nine Zero during a meeting with MQM-Haqiqi leader Afaq Ahmed in Karachi Jail. However, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah denied the allegations.
The present violent situation in Karachi is reminiscent of the linguistic clashes of 1986, and Pakistan Today learnt that Urdu-speaking population of Orangi Town, the worst-affected area in the recent violence, on Sunday stood up to demand a separate mohajir province. Riots erupted again in Aligarh, Muslimabad and Gabol Town, parts of Orangi Town and Zarina Colony, New Karachi Sector 5 A-4 over the demand of a separate province. The people of Orangi Town also proposed a name for the separate province as “Mohajir Province”.
Later at night, wall chalking touting the separation demand was also put up along the city’s major roads. PPP Karachi President Najmi Alam said the party would oppose the demand for a separate province. Orangi reopened for routine activity after five days of bloodshed, but the entire area shut down a few hours following the clashes between Pashtun and the Urdu-speaking population.
The paramilitary troops present in the area appeared not to have noticed any anomaly as they did nothing to restore order. Following the clashes, the Urdu-speaking women of Aligarh and Qasba Colony took to the streets and staged a protest demonstration against the failure of law enforcement agencies to restore peace in the area. With the six more targeted killings on Sunday, the death toll in six days of violence in Karachi climbed to 104.
Resignations accept: In a late night press conference, MQM leaders led by Anis Qaimkhani urged the PPP not to push the party to the wall, asking it to accept the resignations of the MQM ministers and “let the party go its way”. He also warned that the situation might go out of control if the PPP did not stop inciting MQM workers.
PPP, MQM tension soars
