A police constable and a gangster were killed in Lyari operation in the last 24 hours ending Tuesday midnight.
The operation in Lyari entered its fifth day on Tuesday and the death toll has steadily climbed to 33.
On Tuesday, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) faced severe resistance due to rocket and hand grenade attacks by gangsters in the Nawa Lane and Cheel Chowk areas.
The LEAs advanced in Baghdadi Telephone Exchange, Lea Market, Saifi Lane and Purana Dhobi Ghat areas, but faced stiff resistance from armed miscreants.
Various areas of Lyari, including Nawa Lane, Kalakot, Ghareeb Shah Road and Juman Shah have been deprived of electricity and water for the last four days.
Communication has also been disrupted as LEAs have installed cell-phone jamming devices in the area to disconnect the communication of miscreants.
Exchange of heavy fire between police and criminals took place and an explosion was also heard in Afshan Gali area of Lyari.
Talking to Pakistan Today, City Town SP Nasir Aftab said a police constable and a gangster were killed during the last 24 hours. He said the police constable of Sindh Reserve Force (SRF) was killed when miscreants targeted him in a rocket launcher attack at Cheel Chowk.
The policeman was identified as Tufail and the body was sent to Sukkur, his home town, for burial.
The gangster killed in an exchange of fire between LEAs and criminals in Afshani Gali was identified as Tariq alias Sayyapa.
He said 10 people were injured when a rocket launcher hit the upper floor of Al-Majeed Hotel in Lea Market. The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) for treatment where doctors have said the condition of the injured persons was stable.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam, who is heading the operation, said 75 percent of the operation had been completed.
He said LEAs had killed a notorious gangster Tariq alias Sayyapa in Afshani Gali, adding that gun battles were on between miscreants and LEAs at Saifi Lane, Singho Lane and Gul Muhammad Lane.
He said the LEAs needed a couple of more days to wrap up the operation.
Meanwhile, the Sindh government invited all gangs involved in the Lyari violence for table talks if they agreed to surrender and lay down arms.
Briefing reporters, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said the provincial government was willing to offer some “concessions” to the warring gangs of Lyari if they surrendered.
On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators carrying sticks blocked traffic going from Shaheed-e-Millat Road to Korangi Road to protest the Lyari operation.
They pelted vehicles with stones to block the traffic. The protesters, including children, women and men, blocked the Baloch Colony flyover and forcefully closed shops in Mehmoodabad.
Also, the Sindh government announced a head money of up to Rs 3 million for over a dozen criminals, including six members of the People’s Aman Committee.
