Karachi: At least 15 people, most of them
political workers, have been shot dead and several injured by
unidentified gunmen here as violence flared up in the
Pakistani port city after police found the headless body of an
activist of MQM, which is sharing power with PPP in Sindh.
The gunmen targeted people at random in the Garden and
Lyari neighbourhoods in the city, police told TV news
channels.
Five persons were killed and two injured in the firing
today, Geo News channel reported.
Ten people, most of them affiliated with political
parties, were gunned down in Lyari and adjoining
neighbourhoods yesterday. Two women were among the dead.
The killings fuelled tension in the city and gunfire was
reported from several parts of Karachi as businesses shut down
and traffic went off the roads.
The ruling PPP claimed six of the 10 people killed
yesterday were its workers as sympathisers and dozens of
protesters gathered with three bodies outside the Chief
Minister's House.
Violence intensified yesterday after police found the
headless body of Muhammad Aamir, an activist of the Muttahida
Qaumi Movement (MQM), in Lyari. The body bore marks of
torture, a police official said.
Aamir had been reported missing by his family since
December 22.
Senior MQM leader and provincial minister Sagheer Ahmed
said Aamir was killed by the same elements who were carrying
out the "targeted killings" of workers of his party.
Incidents of firing were reported from several places in
Karachi last night.
The situation took a turn for the worse after two
motorcycle-borne gunmen shot and killed local councillor Nadir
Shah in Pak Colony.
Gunmen also targeted a PPP office in Lyari and killed
three party activists.
Several people were also injured in the gunfire.
Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, has often
witnessed intense clashes between workers of rival political
parties.
The city has been relatively calm since the PPP and MQM
came together to form a coalition government in Sindh.
In recent weeks, the MQM has complained that its workers
and supporters have been the target of attacks.
However, Interior Minister Rehman Malik today claimed
that the violence which erupted yesterday was the outcome of a
dispute between two groups over the alleged abduction of a
woman. He said an investigation had been ordered into the
violence.
He warned that authorities would not tolerate any
"targeted killings" in Karachi.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 08, 2010, 21:17