At least eight people have lost their lives to the ongoing spate of killings in the largest city and economic hub of the country. The ‘trend’ of targeted-killings in the city continued on Tuesday as armed men resorted to direct and indiscriminate firing on unarmed citizens.
Rescue sources said that a person had been shot and killed in the Metroville area. Similarly, police sources said that two people had been injured in firing by unknown people at a clinic located in Shershah.
About four people were injured in firing in the areas of Orangi Town, Mewashah and Ayub Goth. The law enforcement agencies seem to have no answer to the deterioration of the law and order situation in the city.
Two killed 40 wounded in bombing near Aisha Manzil: At least two persons were killed and 40 others sustained injuries following a powerful explosion that took place at the main roundabout near the Aisha Manzil furniture market, where minutes earlier a massive rally of the MQM and Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran had concluded on Tuesday. According to DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh, the explosives ahd been planted in a motor-cycle which had been parked in between buses which were to take the returning crowd home.
At least forty people were injured and some of them are in critical condition. They have been shifted to Abbasi Shaheed and other hospitals of the city. A number of buses and other vehicles were also damaged, police said. An eye witness said that the blast had taken place in a motorcycle when the people had been returning to their buses to go back home after attending the rally. A large number of people had had gathered at the point where the explosives had been detonated, another eye witness said.
Hospital sources said that four injured were in critical condition. Children and women were also among the injured, rescue sources said.
The shock-wave of the explosion was felt many kilometres away from the epicentre. Police and Rangers cordoned off the area and started collecting evidences.
42 injured in aerial firing
Although, the Sindh government had imposed ban on aerial firing on the eve of New Year night, 42 people were injured in intermittent aerial firing across the metropolis during night between Monday and Tuesday. At least 12 injured were brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), 14 to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and 16 injured were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH). Incidents of gun shot injuries were reported from North Karachi, Saddar, Defence, Malir, Sharae Faisal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nazimabad, New Karachi, Old City Area, Orangi Town, Landhi and Korangi. An emergency had been imposed at JPMC, CHK and ASH on New Year night. The police and Rangers launched search operation in many areas of the city following aerial firing but no arrest was reported in these raids.