Karachi: At least 800 people have been killed
in ethnic clashes and politically linked violence in Karachi
this year, the bloodiest since 1995, Pakistan`s human rights
commission said on Friday.
Zohra Yousuf who heads the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan (HRCP) said the 800 people were victims of often
targeted and violent shootings in the last seven months.
"The figures are a cause of great concern for every law
abiding Pakistani," she said.
Previously the HRCP had put the figure of those killed
in the violence in Karachi in the first six months of the year
to around 500 but in one of the bloodiest months witnessed by
the city another 300 people were killed in July.
Yousuf said the figures compiled by the HRCP staff also
through police records showed that around 300 people were
killed in July.
The figures represent a big challenge for the government
which has already deployed an additional force of 1000
Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldiers in the city to assist the
police and para-military rangers to control the violence.
Around 60 people were killed in the cycle of violence
and in arson attacks in the last five days this week.
The HRCP official said the violence in Karachi is the
deadliest since 1995, when more than 900 killings were
reported in the first half of the year.
Meanwhile the Muttahida Qaumi Movement which is the
largest part in Karachi and represents the Urdu speaking
Muhajirs who migrated at partition from India has demanded a
judicial inquiry into the violence and killings.
MQM`s senior leader, Farooq Sattar submitted a list of
500 in the national assembly session on Friday which he
claimed was of those people allegedly involved in criminal and
terrorist activities in the city.
Addressing the National Assembly in Islamabad, Sattar
said an inquiry should be launched into the incidents of
violence in Malir, Landhi and the Qasba Colony areas of
Karachi.
He said that terrorists from the northern areas and
local mafia in the city had joined hands.
He alleged that the government was involved in the
worsening law and order situation in Karachi and said it
should stop the "state of civil war" in Karachi.
PTI
