Rawalpindi: At least eight people, including a woman, were killed and eight others injured on Monday as a wave of target killings continually gripped Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, local media reported.
All these people were shot dead within a time of six hours on Monday in different parts of the Karachi, a densely populated business hub of Pakistan, said the media reports.
In the morning, some unknown gunmen riding on a motorcycle sprayed bullets at two men in the Bilal Colony area of the city. Both persons were serious injuries and rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed hospital of the city.
They were identified as workers of a political party. After the incident, tension gripped the surrounding areas of the Bilal Colony and heavy fire exchange was also heard between unknown groups.
Later on, police officials told local media that at least five people, including a woman were killed in different parts of the city.
After that more than a dozen armed gunmen attacked a shopping and residential area "Rabia City" and killed one person on the spot while injuring eight others.
Karachi has been facing a war between militant groups of political and religious parties and different factions of mafias.
On Sunday, about 13 people, including two policemen, were shot dead in separate incidents.
After the killing of over a dozen people on Sunday, the city's police chief ordered shoot-on-sight orders against shooters, kidnappers and extortionists.
Shabbir Sheikh, chief of the Crime Investigation Branch (CIB) of police department Ghulam told a news conference that police has been empowered to shoot-on-sight anyone trying to extort money from traders, damage public or private property, and kidnap or kill someone for any reason.
The announcement of this drastic step by the police, however, has failed to end target killings. At least 900 people have been killed so far in the city since the start of this year, official data showed. The Pakistani government has adopted many strategies, such as launching operations against criminals by law enforcement agencies and holding talks with stakeholders, but no positive results have been achieved so far.
ANI
First Published: Monday, June 18, 2012, 19:28