KARACHI, Nov 15: An exchange of fire between armed youths and traders killed two young boys in Lyari on Thursday which was followed by a fierce gunbattle between police and protesters during which a worker of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was killed and 10 people injured.
The deadly violence on the third day of Lyari protests against PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s house arrest in Lahore is blamed by the police on “criminals.” However, the PPP believes that members of intelligence agencies are behind it.
Abdul Rahman, who was 12 years old, was hit in the head by a single bullet while nine-year-old Mohammed Tufail was hit in the chest in Baloch Para. Both boys, who are believed to have been mere bystanders, died on the spot. Their bodies were taken to the Civil Hospital for autopsy. Rahman lived near Peer Mohammed Road while Tufail was a resident of Shah Baig Lane. Later in the afternoon, police action against protesters who were burning tyres and blocking roads triggered further firing from both sides.
According to eyewitnesses, a group of angry youths who were forcing shopkeepers to pull their shutters down in the Lea Market met with serious resistance from some businessmen. Reportedly, the firing began while the two sides were exchanging hot words but there is no evidence of who fired the first shot. The area police reached the spot but the protesters were already fleeing.
Firing into the air forced shopkeepers to close their businesses and sparked a heavy exchange of fire between armed youths, policemen and plainclothesmen. In the eight-hour-long confrontation, some 10 people — including a police constable of the special branch — were injured while Ahmed Baloch was killed in Hasht Chowk. The PPP said that the 45-year-old had been an active worker of ward nine in union council six of Lyari Town, and was killed by police firing late in the evening.
During the fierce gunbattle, unknown persons unleashed rocket fire in the Lea Market area, with hundreds of bullets being fired from all sides. The armed youth used mainly light machine guns and AK-47s and were on the whole successful in keeping the police at bay.
All of Lyari Town, including Baloch Para, Moosa Lane, Nawa Lane, Hasht Chowk, Adam Khan Road, Tanga Stand and Baghdadi remained closed with no vehicles on the roads save police vans and armoured personnel carriers.
Even after the guns fell silent after sunset, fear kept the area’s residents inside their homes. Sporadic gunfire continued late into the night.
‘Federal agencies responsible’
Although heavy Rangers’ contingents were present in the area, the police managed the front line action against the youths. When it was all over, both the PPP and the police were unable to pin down responsibility for the violence Lyari witnessed on Thursday and were attempting to shift the blame on each others’ shoulders.
“The line of political activism is very blurred,” said Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Azhar Ali Farooqui. “We believe that the recent events in the area reflect its history, when gangsters were responsible for having created a war-like situation. This must be addressed by the political parties.”
Mr Farooqui said the police had interacted with the PPP leadership, which denied any involvement in Thursday’s violence. However, the officers expressed the intention of taking firm action against the unknown persons who had held the entire area hostage for over 12 hours.
The PPP, meanwhile, remained unconvinced by the police arguments about unknown gangsters. The party maintained that the events in Lyari had been orchestrated by members of the federal agencies in order to damage the party’s standing in the area.
“The police brutally killed one of our activists and is now calling the victim a criminal,” said Rafiq Engineer, a PPP MPA from the area. “We firmly believe that the whole plan was designed by the agencies in order to discourage political activities. They targeted Lyari first, since it has been prominent in protest against General Musharraf’s regime.”
The police fear that the fresh unrest in the area could damage the multi-ethnic culture of Lyari and cause violent differences between various groups. “These people have suffered great losses in such violent protests and have resisted any call that may result in a fight,” said the CCPO. “If these conditions prevail, it could turn into a very serious ethnic problem.”
KARACHI, Nov 15: An exchange of fire between armed youths and traders killed two young boys in Lyari on Thursday which was followed by a fierce gunbattle between police and protesters during which a worker of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was killed and 10 people injured.
Firing into the air forced shopkeepers to close their businesses and sparked a heavy exchange of fire between armed youths, policemen and plainclothesmen. In the eight-hour-long confrontation, some 10 people — including a police constable of the special branch — were injured while Ahmed Baloch was killed in Hasht Chowk. The PPP said that the 45-year-old had been an active worker of ward nine in union council six of Lyari Town, and was killed by police firing late in the evening.
