Violence erupted across Karachi on Friday as the city braced for a strike called by Sindhi nationalist parties for Saturday (today), which had received a warm response a day earlier from the Awami National Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, National People’s Party and Sunni Tehreek.Unidentified assailants set a bus full of passengers on fire at Tower, burning a man alive and wounding many others.
The violence permeated other areas of the city as well, with two buses at Neepa Roundabout, two buses in Lyari, a pick-up truck at Laghard Phatak and two buses in Orangi Town also set ablaze. Miscreants also attacked a bus in Kemari, injuring 11 passengers. In Nazimabad No 2, aerial firing by unidentified gunmen injured 2 people and caused businesses and shops to shut down. Firing was also reported near Nazimabad Board Office, where miscreants also pelted passing cars with stones.
In North Karachi, a man was wounded when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire at 2 Minute Chowrangi. A reporting team of a private TV channel was also attacked by gunmen in Gulistan-e-Johar, however no casualties were reported. Karachi police chief Saud Mirza told reporters that police had been alerted to deal with any untoward situation and a search operation was underway in Sadar. He said several suspected miscreants had been arrested and weapons had been seized from their possession.