The law enforcement agencies have started a full-fledged operation in the crime-infested Lyari, after a group of revengeful gangsters bombed Jhatpat market of the volatile neighbourhood, killing what the police said at least 16 people and injuring 23 others on Wednesday.
The Jhat Pat Market of Lyari became a battleground as the two groups – Baba Ladla and Uzair Baloch gangs – attacked each other with hand grenades, rockets and guns.
“The clash erupted this morning when two gangs exchanged heavy gunfire, later they fired RPGs and lobbed hand grenades at each other,” a senior police official, Faisal Bashir said.
Din Muhammad, a 43-year-old resident who was being treated at Karachi Civil Hospital for a gun-shot wound in his right leg, said he was sitting at his shop when he heard explosions.
“There was a big bang and then people started shouting and crying. I closed the shutter of my shop to run home but got shot while I was running towards a group of people lying on the ground,” he said.
Subsequently, Karachi Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Shahid Hayat moblised the law enforcement agencies which chased the criminals in Usmanabad, Rangiwara, Pak Colony and Mochko neighbourhoods of the PPP-dominated Lyari.
“Karachi police and Rangers are continually chasing criminals involved in Wednesday’s killings,” said police spokesperson Inspector Atiq Shaikh.
The police and Rangers, during the daylong operation, claimed to have killed five gangsters including Adil alias Badal, Naseen alias Eppi, Fateh Khan, Adnan and Farman in Usmanabad and Rangiwara areas.
Khan, Asif and Farman were killed by the police in the Rangiwara encounters, said Inspector Shaikh, while Badal and Eppi were gunned down during an exchange of fire “with the two notorious target killers”, as per the Rangers spokesperson.
Those killed belonged to Baba Ladla group of the proscribed People’s Aman Committee.
The law enforcers also claimed to have arrested a number of suspected criminals of which only Yasir, an accomplice of Badal and Eppi, could be identified so far.
According to Shaikh, Wednesday’s carnage in Jhatpat market led to the commencement of a full-fledged operation in the gangwars-fame locality. He confirmed that casualties for the deadly bombing had climbed to 16 till the filing of this report. The number of casualties, however, is expected to increase given the critical condition of some of the 23 reported injured, 15 of which were school children.
Due to the cracker attacks in the Jhatpat area and the subsequent operation, three Rangers personnel, and two police personnel were wounded, as per the two spokespersons.
Bashir said that the violence had erupted after one of the gangs had kidnapped a member of the other gang on Tuesday night, adding that one of the gangs suspected the other of providing a tip to police that led to the killing of Fateh Muhammad, brother of Ghaffar Zikri, one of the prominent characters of the Baba Ladla group.
“Zikri’s brother was killed in an encounter by the police and Rangers late in night between Tuesday and Wednesday,” sources said, “Jhatpat market attacks were in retaliation of Fateh’s killing.”
However, as per the police spokesperson, the Jhatpat attacks, were the result of a mutual fight between the warring gangs of Lyari that caused irreparable collateral damage.
The law enforcers also claimed to have recovered a huge cache of weapons during the operation that includes four short machineguns, a uni-barrel rocket launcher, three rifles, MP-5s, pistols, grenades and a large quantity of mixed ammunition.
The police, Shaikh said while talking to Pakistan Today, had long been conducting targeted raids on tip-offs in Lyari but Wednesday’s killings at Jhatpat market was “literally crossing the line”.
It literally shook us all, the spokesperson said, adding that the law enforcers were even chased the gangsters in the narrow lanes of Lyari on foot.
Meanwhile, an emergency was declared in the Civil Hospital as injured were taken there for medical assistance. The deceased include four women and two children, however, none of the victims was identified as yet.
Shops and businesses shut down in Lyari and residents of the area protested against the clash and burnt tyres.
Abdul Qadir Patel, MNA Javed Nagori and MPA Sanya Naz Baloch of the PPP condemned the market attack and called for the imposition of curfew in Lyari for carrying out a “grand operation” against the criminals.
Nagori told reporters at Karachi Press Club that Sindh government would give Rs 500,000 and 200,000 compensation to the heirs of killed and injured in Jhatpat market tragedy respectively.
Without naming, he claimed that an MNA of a “linguistic party” was involved in deteriorating the peace of Lyari.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan presented a report on the conditions in Lyari to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to inform him about the tense situation in the area.
LYARI GANG WAR
The differences between Uzair and Baba began over the issue of Uzair’s escape from Lyari, according to a source who is close to both of them.
“Baba had directed Uzair not to leave his men, as the entire neighbourhood considered him to be the sardar [leader], but Uzair had left without taking Baba into confidence,” the source said.
Insiders said Baba had to suffer setbacks when a large number of his operational commanders were killed. “Uzair Baloch, in comparison, did not lose as many men. Some of Baba’s commanders even joined his rival’s group,” he said.
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