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KARACHI, June 22: Truck drivers blocked the National Highway on Friday morning after one of their fellow drivers was shot at and wounded while resisting a highway robbery.
Traffic on the highway remained suspended for hours as truck drivers parked their vehicles on the main road in protest against an increase in highway robberies and police indifference.
The trouble started when some robbers intercepted a truck in Landhi. Akhtar Jan, the truck driver, put up a strong resistance to the bandits, who snatched his cash, shot at him and fled. He was taken to a hospital in a critical condition. Following the incident, truck and trailer drivers blocked the road and demanded an increase in highway police patrolling.
Sharafi Goth police reached the spot and listened to the grievances of the protesting drivers. After some verbal assurances offered by the police, the drivers ended their protest and removed their vehicles from the highway.
KILLED: A labourer was stabbed to death near Sabzimandi and another was shot dead in Lyari on Friday.
In Sohrab Goth, 24-year-old labourer Wazeer Khan was stabbed to death near Sabzimandi. The body was sent to hospital for a post-mortem examination. No relative or associate of the victim turned up at the police station to lodge an FIR. Sources said Wazeer Khan was a resident of Baldia Town.
In Kalakot, Mohammad Sajid was shot dead near his residence. The body was taken to hospital. The motive behind the murder could not be ascertained. However, the incident appeared to be part of the ongoing gang war in the troubled areas of Lyari for the past many years.
More than 400 people, including policemen, have been killed in the Lyari gang war. For years, Rehman Dakait and Arshad Pappu gangs have been involved in the killings. However, the two gangs divided into splinters groups after the arrest of Arshad Pappu and Rehman Dakait’s escape. Although an operation clean-up was launched in Lyari, the police appeared powerless to put an end to criminal activities in the area.
ACCIDENT: A man died while his fellow passenger was injured in an accident in Landhi.
Mumtaz Mehboob and Ashiq were on their motorcycle when an oil tanker hit them. Mumtaz died on the spot and Ashiq suffered injuries. The body and the injured were shifted to a hospital. The police impounded the oil tanker but could not arrest its driver.
