Islamabad: About 154 alleged target killers have been arrested in Karachi city, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said.
Out of the arrested individuals, nine people who were affiliated with certain political parties, have been bailed out due to insufficient evidence, he said Thursday.
Spiralling violence in Karachi, which began on July 05, has left over 100 people dead.
Participating in a debate in the Senate on the situation in Karachi, Malik called for national unity and rising above politics to send a clear message to the enemies that the Pakistanis were united, the Geo News reported on Friday.
Commenting on the killings in Karachi's Kati Pahari area, Malik said Pakistan Rangers cleared the area after facing stiff resistance as the criminals, equipped with sophisticated weapons, were holed up in houses there.
While informing the House that some arrests have been made in Kati Pahari and investigations were under way, Malik said there were elements in Karachi who wanted to create rifts among all political parties.
On July 18, Malik said that the use of Israeli-made weapons indicates "foreign hand" behind the Karachi unrest.
IANS
First Published: Friday, July 22, 2011, 13:32