After two days of silence, the sequence of violence resurfaced in parts of Karachi again on Monday, claiming the life of at least seven people, including a PPP local leader. Police said that unidentified gunmen opened fire on the vehicle of PPP Lyari Vice President Hassan Soomro. The leader received a bullet to his head and was rushed to a hospital, however, he could not survive the injuries. Akhtar Gorchani, a senior police officer, said a woman was shot dead on Jinnah Road. In Sohrab Goth, a man was killed and another injured in cross-firing between two rival groups. President Asif Zardari, Faisal Raza Abdi and PPP Karachi President Nabeel Gabol condemned the killing of their party leader. Gabol said Lyari, which was considered the stronghold of the PPP, had become a battlefield under PPP’s own regime. “Our leaders have been killed. Now the tolerance of our workers is finished but there is still no Rangers official deputed in the area,” he said, demanding an immediate operation against terrorists.
Nine people, including two policemen, were also injured in the latest spree of violence. In another incident, a man committed suicide by shooting himself in Bin Qasim Town, claimed the police. Police also said that some unidentified gunmen injured a PPP worker by opening fire on him in Aziz Bhatti police precincts.
“Some parts of the city are still tense where police and paramilitaries are on patrol,” Sharfuddin Memon, spokesman for the Sindh Home Department, told AFP. The official said arsonists had set more than 50 vehicles alight during the last week.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 1,715 people were killed in sudden flare-ups of violence in the city last year.
