The neighbourhoods of Malir and Landhi towns that have been wrought up by violent incidents since Friday morning were divided by pickets on Saturday with hundreds of armed men in position inside the borders.
Accompanied by activists affiliated with both the political groups that have been at each other’s throats since a day earlier, this scribe visited the affected areas and witnessed that barriers have been set up in some of the neighbourhoods of Malir and Landhi. Over 500 pickets have been set up, whereas hundreds of men carrying weapons have been patrolling the localities on motorcycles and in other vehicles.
In Malir Town, the routes that could be used by rivals to enter the vicinity have been blocked. Khokhrapar No 1 has been blocked on three sides, whereas 13 pickets have been set up along its streets and the main road. Khokhrapar No 2 is surrounded by 57 pickets with a hundred armed men in position, whereas in Khokhrapar No 4, the most affected neighbourhood, armed activists of a dominating political party have set up 113 pickets with every street covered with two pickets on both ends.
Over 70 pickets have been set up along various routes of other areas, including Kala Board, Al-Falah Society, Jafar-e-Tayyar and Model Colony. A similar situation was witnessed in the neighbourhoods of Landhi Town. Sherpao Colony, Dawood Chowrangi and Quaidabad have been separated by pickets by armed political activists of both rival groups.
Over 100 pickets have been set up in Noor Manzil, which seems to be the main border separating the two conflicting groups. In Sherpao Colony, the centre of one of the groups, armed activists have been patrolling the thoroughfare, whereas armed activists of the other group have been keeping an eye on their opponents from the other side in Noor Manzil.
The main road of Korangi Industrial Area also seems to be one of the main borders between both the parties. This 25-kilometre long road has been blocked using 150 pickets. The localities of Landhi and Korangi are situated on one side of this thoroughfare, whereas the other side is made up of Awami Colony, Bilal Colony and a large number of goths of the Baloch community that is supporting one of the political groups.
The roads of the main areas, including Korangi No 2, Nasir Colony and Awami Colony, have been blocked, whereas barriers have also been set up along the corners of the streets. Locals are stuck in their respective areas because those living on one side of the border have been barred from crossing into the vicinity on the other side of the boundary.
A resident told this scribe that there is a fair chance that ordinary citizens could be shot dead by the armed men patrolling the streets on suspicion of being spies for their adversaries. The law enforcers as well have been limited to their respective police stations, especially in the most affected areas, whereas personnel of Pakistan Rangers-Sindh and other law enforcement agencies also seem reluctant to take steps to improve the law and order situation in the distressed localities.
