Gunmen and arsonists went on the rampage in the country’s financial capital Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawab Shah and other cities of Sindh on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and setting dozens of vehicles alight, officials said. The unrest was sparked by the murder of a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and his brother late Monday, reviving fears that the city of 18 million could return to horrifying levels of violence that left more than 1,700 people dead last year. Mansoor Mukhtar, 37, was shot dead late Monday when gunmen burst into the home where he was sleeping, police said. His brother also died and his sister-in-law was wounded in the attack in the central neighbourhood of PIB Colony, police said. Talking to Pakistan Today, SP Gulshan-e-Iqbal Abdul Salam Sheikh said the gunmen killed Mansoor Mukhtar instantly, while his brother Maqsood Mukhtar succumbed to his wounds at a private hospital. He said Mansoor’s sister-in-law Uzma Maqsood and two other MQM workers, Muhammad Yousuf and Muhammad Amjad received bullet wounds. He said the attackers ransacked the entire house and also stole cash, jewellery and other valuables.
Soon afterwards, armed men took to the streets and started setting fire to vehicles, in violence that left a further six people dead and more injured. “Our hospitals have received a total of eight bodies of victims from today’s firing incidents. They include an MQM member and his brother,” said police surgeon Hamid Parhiar. At least 50 vehicles, including buses, mini buses and trucks were torched in Karachi, senior official Roshan Sheikh said. “We have been keeping Karachi peaceful for a long time and such incidents have been perpetrated by those who don’t want to see our country stable and peaceful,” party spokesman Wasay Jaleel told AFP. There were incidents of firing in Gulistan Jauhar, Malir, Nagan Chowrangi, Nazimabad and Sarjani Town. Private schools announced the closure of all educational institutions, while University of Karachi cancelled all its examinations scheduled for Tuesday owing to the rampant violence across Karachi. MQM chief Altaf Hussain appealed to his party workers to observe restraint, as he called for the early arrest of the two brothers’ murderers.
10 killed as violence flares in Karachi
