By Salis bin Perwaiz & Kamran Mansoor
KARACHI: The death of Benazir Bhutto engulfed Karachi in unprecedented violence that claimed the ten lives and led to the torching of more than 150 vehicles, burning of banks, petrol pumps, a hospital, houses and factories.
The police, who along with the Rangers were largely missing from most of the affected areas during the first four hours of the turmoil, claimed that they had rounded up more than 30 people involved in the violence.
Observers said that the law-enforcement agencies provided ample opportunity to miscreants to plunder and damage public property. Also, it was noted that most of the violence was carried out by criminal elements who might not have any affiliation with political parties. æŸhe pattern of ransacking and looting shows the involvement of criminal elements,?said an observer familiar with security issues. He said that the absence of law-enforcement agencies emboldened the criminal elements.
As a result, one of the posh areas of the city Zamzama was ransacked by unidentified people who looted showrooms, shops and boutiques. Within minutes of the breaking of the news of the death of PPP chairperson, enraged crowds went on the rampage, indiscriminately burning cars, motorcycles, fire tenders and banks, plunging the whole city into a state of lawlessness and anarchy that was seldom seen before.
Unidentified men killed three persons in Sohrab Goth, two at Lasbella Chowk, one each near the Shamama Shopping Center close to Safari Park, near the RCD Highway, in Gulshan-i-Hadeed, in Malir and Ranchore Lane. On the whole, more than 65 persons were injured in firing by the miscreants.
Gun toting people came out on the roads and got the shops closed. Indiscriminate firing frightened the people who started rushing towards their homes. This led to massive traffic jams throughout the city. People got stranded on roads for hours altogether and could hardly reach their homes.
Two banks and one hotel were looted in Block-7, Gulistan-i-Jauhar. After committing the offence, the accused torched the banks and fled. An angry mob came out of the Pehlwan Goth area and damaged the police post situated near the Rabia City, Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Near the Civic Center, about 20 vehicles were torched. In Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block-3, a house No-309/1 was burnt.
In several areas, residents said that some persons riding on motorcycles and cars came and threatened them to switch off their lights or face the consequences. People living near the Disco Bakery, Banaras and Patel Para spoke about visits by such people.
A building was torched near Ghas Mandi, a shop was burnt in Napier and petrol pumps in Sachal, Sohrab Goth, Jamshed Town and Gulshan Town. Also burnt was one wagon in Azeempura, one car in Darakhshan, and forty vehicles packed in the traffic mess near the Punjab Chowrangi, Clifton.
In Orangi Town, seven vehicles were torched, in Malir two vehicles were burnt, in Liaquatabad miscreants torched scores of cars, buses, mini-buses, motorcycles, rickshaws parked from Essa Nagri to Baloch Hotel.
An Edhi spokesman said that more than 30 vehicles were damaged in various parts of the city and two ambulances were hijacked from Lyari. In a separate incident in Lyari, angry protesters damaged the Chakiwara, Kalakot and Baghdadi police stations, burnt one petrol pump, torched tires on the streets and carried out aerial firing.
They also burnt a factory in Lyari and there were reports that some workers were present in the factory when it was put on fire. Another factory was torched in Korangi. Chief Fire Officer Ehtesham said that four fire stations at Civic Center, Landhi, Lyari and Korangi were damaged when miscreants sprayed bullets on it and three fire tenders were smashed.
The Keamari Town Nazim office was torched, miscreants attacked the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station, damaged the Mauripur Traffic Section and the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Traffic Section. A Steel Mills bus was torched in Gulshan-i-Hadeed. Police officials were injured in New Town and Gulistan-i-Jauhar police limits.
A group of miscreants came from Kala Pull side and attacked the National Hospital and torched 11 vehicles parked in the parking lot and later attacked the hospital, looted valuables and cash and torched the hospital building.
Six injured were shifted to Civil Hospital, Karachi, including Imran from Baldia, Faizan from Al-Mumtaz Society while the others remained unidentified. There were also reports of armed gangs looting houses.
All petrol pumps of the city were closed and several vehicles were parked on roadsides because of shortage of fuel and gas. Some other areas where tires were burnt were Lyari, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Sohrab Goth, Gulshan, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Malir, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Peerabad, Landhi, Korangi and Bin Qasim.
The uncontrolled protestors put the Gulistan-e-Jauhar Police Station on fire. Four Chinese engineers got stranded in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area and sought refuge at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Police Station. They were later safely evacuated from there.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of employees of various companies, corporate houses and shops were stranded when public transport disappeared from the city抯 main arteries. These people were seen walking on roads for hours to reach their homes. On the other hand, thousands of employees were forced to stay back at their offices or took refuge with their friends and relatives.
When contacted, the Capital City Police Officer, Karachi, Azhar Ali Farooqi, claimed that as soon as he heard about the blast, he ordered high alert in the city and directed the Karachi police to carry out maximum patrolling in their respective towns.
He also directed the DIGs of three zones, SPs and SPOs of various towns of the city to remain alert. CCPO Farooqi added that late Thursday night, the situation was under control and the police had rounded up more than 30 criminals involved in creating violence and damaging public and private property.
He said eight were held from the New Town police limits, when miscreants were robbing a private bank. The SHO New Town saved the bank but was injured in firing. Another ASI was injured in Gulistan-i-Jauhar while resisting the law breakers.
CCPO added that the Reserve Police were also on alert and Rangers were also working with the police. He directed maximum patrolling in the city.
The News Reports
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=11924
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